Darkened Skies
by CitrusChickadee
Summary: How did the original quest to find the Time Gears begin? How did the hero and Grovyle meet? And what were some of the characters besides the hero doing during the events of the main game? A Mystery Dungeon: Explorers fanfic that expands on what's shown during the game's story.
1. A Stroke of Providence

**Author's Note:** This is a rewrite of an old PMD2 fanfic I'd posted here a while back. While it's mainly a novelization of the game, it also serves to fill in a whole lot of backstory and personal headcanons I have on the game. There's also going to be some alternating points of view going on later to shake things up a bit, so it won't be a straight word-for-word paste of the game. Anyway, with all that said, here's the first chapter.

* * *

**Chapter One: A Stroke of Providence**

"I just wish there was something we could _do_, Blitz."

"I know, Michelle. I know."

She sighed, rubbing her temples as she glanced around the area. It was the same dull gray as everywhere else. _Everything_ was the same—silent, dark, _unchanging_—and they just had to sit there and accept that. And Michelle _hated_ it.

The Persian beside her quietly watched her pace around. He scanned their surroundings as well; they were in a thick forest, not too far from where they'd set up their current shelter. They hadn't been dwelling there too long, so he and Michelle had wanted to get a better feel for their surroundings.

"It's just—" Michelle paused, sighing again as her frustration mounted. "Maybe this wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have to move around constantly. This is no way to live, dragging everyone around all the time for something that doesn't even _matter_ anymore—"

She cut herself off and shook her head. She'd complained to Blitz enough about their current situation, and she knew that he was just as frustrated by it as she was. However, it was wearing on her even more than usual. Michelle sank down into a sitting position, leaning against a stone tablet nearby. Maybe a little rest would do her some good.

And then she froze. Michelle's eyes slid out of focus as a wave of dizziness washed over her. She raised a hand to her forehead, her other one gripping the tablet for support. She could see the expression of shock on Blitz's face, his mouth moving in a question, but she couldn't make out what he was saying.

Instead, her vision started to darken, and she was seeing…something else entirely.

* * *

_There was a faint amount of color in the sky, despite the water—no, rain—falling to the ground. A Pokémon was dashing down the path, and his figure was hard to make out at first. The Grovyle slowed to a halt, approaching the stone tablet at the back of the clearing._

_A glowing gear sat atop the pedestal, and he carefully plucked it from its resting place. Then, he tucked it into his bag and quickly the area._

* * *

Just as quickly as it had started, it was over. Michelle sat stiffly, breath coming out in ragged gasps. Blitz padded over to her, giving her another concerned look.

"What happened?" he prodded.

"We…we have to tell Celebi," she whispered. "It still exists, Blitz. The Dimensional Scream."

Blitz's eyes widened. "What? But how?"

"I don't know, but… we have to go."

She stood up quickly, regretting it when she wobbled from the effort. The dizziness hadn't completely worn off, but they couldn't dawdle. They weren't too far from home, and Michelle needed to tell someone what she'd seen.

Maybe they actually had a chance to fix things now.

* * *

Michelle and Blitz soon arrived at the small burrow they currently called home. Celebi was hovering in the center, entertaining Claire and Andrew. The two were Michelle's twins, and Celebi had always been good with them. Claire had always been taken with Celebi's excitable personality, though Andrew sometimes found her stories interesting as well.

Not far away, Blitz's son—a Growlithe named Jack—was napping in the corner. There was a small fire burning in the middle of the room; he'd no doubt lit that before falling asleep. He wasn't awoken by the sudden footsteps, but Celebi stopped in the middle of her current story and turned around.

"Oh, Michelle, Blitz," she greeted. "You're back already, my dears?"

Michelle nodded. "Yes. I found something you might want to hear, Celebi. I…got a Dimensional Scream. At least, I think that's what it was—"

"A Dimensional Scream?" Celebi repeated, eyes widening. "I thought you said that didn't work here! Not anymore—"

"That's what we all thought, but…I can't think of anything else it could've been."

Michelle sat down, idly rubbing her hands together. The ability had run in her family once, long ago. No one had properly been able to activate it, though, not since Temporal Tower had collapsed so long ago. But now, she'd somehow managed to do it.

It had been a gift from Dialga himself, ages ago. He'd bestowed the Dimensional Scream upon one of her distant ancestors with the intention of having a servant of sorts. Apparently, he'd chosen a human in order to help improve the relationship between humans and Pokémon—as humans had always been rare, there had been little contact between the two species for a long time. And the ability itself had been meant to alert Dialga of any issues in the time stream that needed to be fixed.

Now, though…Dialga seemed to have forgotten about all that. _Primal_ Dialga only cared about eliminating possible threats, not any goodwill that had once existed between him and her family. The Dimensional Scream made Michelle a walking threat in his eyes, even if she hadn't known it still worked. And now…it turned out there may have been a grain of truth in Primal Dialga's fears after all.

"Well…what happened?" Celebi said eventually.

"I saw…a Grovyle," Michelle explained slowly. "He was picking up a Time Gear. I'm not sure _why_, but that's what I could make out."

Celebi hummed to herself for a moment. Beside her, Claire and Andrew exchanged glances. They may not have fully grasped the importance of this news yet, but they could surely tell that _something_ serious was going on.

"Maybe…do you think it has something to do with the fact that you saw a Time Gear?" Celebi suggested. "That's the only thing I can think of that would explain it…"

Blitz nodded. "She may be right, Michelle. They controlled time once, did they not?"

"But why here?" Michelle frowned. "There isn't one here _now_, unless…maybe there was one here _before_? And there might still be enough energy left for it to work…"

The vision had seemed straightforward, but it was opening up a whole slew of other questions. Maybe they could make sense of it, though. Maybe they already were; the suggestions were logical ones. Now they just had to figure out what to _do_ with this information.

"Well," Celebi continued, "I wonder if we can do this anywhere else? I wouldn't know where to start looking, but it's possible we could find some more. Right?"

Michelle nodded. "Right. We'll have to figure out where to start, but anything would nice. If we could ask around and see if anyone's willing to help…"

"It'd be risky, but worth it if it works," Blitz agreed. "You have some friends who've been around a while, right, Celebi? We could start there and see what happens next."

The fairy nodded, apparently mulling over the situation. Claire and Andrew shared another glance before looking back at their mother.

"What's this mean, Mom?" Claire asked.

Finally, a smile crossed Michelle's face. "It means we can _fix_ things, Claire. All of this darkness and silence—we can change it! Make things go back to how they were before!"

It was a lot to absorb all at once, and she wasn't sure if the two of them understood the magnitude of the situation. But Michelle knew that Claire and Andrew had always disliked the utter stillness of the world, and the idea of changing that to _anything_ else was something they could grasp. The two shared a grin of their own, and Claire quickly scrambled over to Jack to share the news with him.

As the Growlithe yawned and cracked an eye open, Michelle's smile grew. For the first time in…well, she wasn't sure how long, they had _hope_. And for now, that was what mattered.


	2. Formations and Changes

**Author's Note:** Longer chapter this time, mostly developmental stuff. But the Sableye appear here! And that's important, right? Plus, taking some liberties with Dark Crater here, but I've always thought there _should_ be a Time Gear there, so there you go.

* * *

**Chapter Two: Formations and Changes**

It started slowly.

There were small pockets of sane people and Pokémon out there, Michelle knew. Not all of them were as crazed with pain as the wild packs were. Still, actually finding them, and then convincing them the world could be fixed, was more difficult than she'd thought.

Progress was progress, though. Celebi helped things along spectacularly; she'd always had a knack for interacting with others, and a particular friend of hers was the biggest help they had in the early stages. Jirachi had been born before the fall of the tower, and he had a few vague memories of how the world had been back then.

(They were lucky, Michelle thought bitterly, that his wish-granting powers weren't quite strong enough to put him on Primal Dialga's blacklist, too.)

"So," he said as he looked at the map, "you said you had your vision…here?"

Michelle nodded. "Yes. It was near where we're staying right now. I know it's a forest of some sort, but…"

"…you don't know what it was called back then," Jirachi muttered in finishing. "If I remember correctly, it was _shroud_…_shroud_…_Treeshroud_. Yes, that was it! Treeshroud Forest."

Something swelled in Michelle's chest—excitement and a bit of nerves. Even if he couldn't recall much else, it was a huge start. She glanced down at the map again curiously. It had clearly been old whenever he'd gotten it, as the text was faded in several places (including the area he'd just indicated). She didn't want to risk damaging it, but Michelle leaned down for a better look.

"Treeshroud Forest," she repeated. "All right. Now if only we had some idea of where to look for the others…"

Currently, she, Jirachi, Celebi, and Blitz were poring over the map for ideas. Claire, Andrew, and Jack were nearby; they'd traveled to Jirachi's den and didn't want to risk leaving the children behind. That, and Michelle had figured it'd be important for them to listen in on discussions, just in case…well, anything happened to her.

(That was something she didn't want to think about, but Michelle had to consider it. She knew Primal Dialga was doing his best to hunt her down, and now that she was actually _doing_ something? Well, now she was at an even bigger risk.)

"I bet they're all going to be different places," Claire said, nodding in a way that was probably meant to be sage.

"Well, yeah." Andrew just shrugged. "Why would they all be close together?"

"No, I mean, like…different _places_!" Claire huffed. "Ones that are super different from _each other_. Obviously!"

Michelle considered the idea. It seemed obvious enough, but it made sense. She doubted they'd all be kept in forests—that would make finding them far too easy.

"Of course," she murmured. "We'll have to look elsewhere, too."

Celebi hummed, glancing over the map again. Then, she gestured to a few places before looking back up at the assembled crew.

"Well, why don't we start checking around in places that are hard to get to? I doubt Dialga would've just left them sitting out in easily-accessible areas."

Blitz nodded, snorting lightly in amusement. "Of course not; that would make things much too simple. Let me get a look at these spots you picked, Celebi."

"Well, let's see…" she mused. "This one looks like it was near a volcano before. And this one's in a pretty out-of-the-way spot…"

Claire admittedly let her attention drift at that point. She knew her mother was working on something important, but…she didn't think she could contribute very much. Instead, she picked up the stick she'd been playing with earlier and held it over Jack's head. The Growlithe watched it intently for a few seconds, and then happily chased after it when Claire tossed it several feet away.

Andrew just sighed and rolled his eyes. As Jack brought the stick back, however, Claire couldn't bring herself to care about her brother's huffiness. At least she knew how to have fun, and they could all use a bit more of that in general.

* * *

Michelle decided that her next course of action was to investigate the volcano Celebi had suggested. It was pretty far from the forest—Treeshroud Forest, she corrected herself—but it was about time they moved to a new home, anyway. It was only a matter of time before those Sableye found their forest dwelling.

She couldn't help a shudder she collected her children and their few belongings. It was always Sableye that came after them, usually in packs of two or three, but sometimes as many as six. Michelle knew Sableye were rarely that coordinated unless they were on someone's orders, but they had yet to figure out who was leading them.

They likely worked for Dialga himself, at least in some fashion. Michelle frowned; she knew her grandfather had been captured once, long ago. He'd just barely survived the escape and had died not too long after, but he'd mentioned seeing multiple Sableye around Dialga's tower. Yet Dialga himself rarely, if ever, left his home. He'd need someone else to decide where to send them, in that case…

Michelle sighed and shook herself out of her thoughts. At least Claire and Andrew didn't mind the journey. Claire always viewed moves as some kind of grand adventure, and Michelle supposed her optimism much a good thing. She'd rather Claire make a big deal out of things in a good direction instead of giving in to despair. Meanwhile, Andrew had never been the kind to talk much. Still, he put up with everything well enough, and Michelle was proud of the fact that he always managed to carry on like he did.

Celebi and Jirachi were ahead of her, musing over the map. Blitz was beside her, the Persian keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. And Claire and Andrew were in the back with Jack, keeping good pace.

(At times, Michelle wished she could move faster, but…an encounter with those Sableye a while back had left her with a scarred leg and a limp. There was nothing she could do about it, of course, but it frustrated her to no end. She worried now more than ever that her slow pace would make them all easy targets.)

At least they didn't run into much trouble along the way, and Jirachi spotted a small alcove where they could stop to rest. Fortunately—Michelle needed it. Once she regained enough energy, he handed her the map and nodded.

"I'll stay here with them," he said, waving a hand at the three children. "Celebi, would you like to stay or go?"

"I think I'd like to go! I mean, this was my idea—I'd like to see if there's actually something here!" After a short pause, she corrected, "Or _was_ here, I suppose."

Michelle snorted lightly. "All right, then. Claire, Andrew, Jack—we'll be back soon."

They nodded, and Claire quickly busied herself by gathering small stones and sticks. She'd managed to arrange her rocks in a small circle by the time Michelle had gotten a few feet away, and she could hear Claire telling Jack to start a fire. A small smile crossed her face as they left, and Michelle took one more glance at the map. It was so heavily crinkled she kept thinking it would tear at the slightest touch, but it was better than nothing.

"This was called…Dark Crater in the past, Jirachi says," Michelle mused, half to herself but still loud enough to be heard. "He couldn't find much other information on it, though."

"I'm not surprised." Blitz shook his head. "I can't imagine many Pokémon living in a place like this, let alone passing down stories about it."

Celebi nodded. "Look at it! I doubt it was much less dismal in the past."

Michelle's eyes hardened slightly as she nodded. They were approaching the path leading deeper into the cave, and there were large, bubbly streams of lava on the ground around them. Despite being frozen in place, the heat radiating off them was almost unbearable. She had to duck around a few chunks of rock in the air, and Michelle shuddered at the thought of how often the nearby volcano must have erupted.

"And yet that makes it a good place to hide something," she murmured. "Come on; let's hurry."

The two Pokémon simply nodded, following after her at a quickened pace. The cave was long and winding and seemed to go on forever, and Michelle started to wonder if she should've taken a longer rest. The air pressure further in was killing her leg, but the looks of concern and encouragement that Blitz kept giving her motivated her to keep going anyway.

Finally, they encountered an altar in the depths of the cave—or at least the remnants of one. The crumbling stone monument was up at the top of a hill, surrounded by a small pool of frozen lava. Michelle gritted her teeth, feeling the heat scorching her arms as she leaned over to touch the altar. Her feet wobbled, and she came dangerously close to falling over the edge of the ridge. But her hands hit the monument a moment later, and she was able to stabilize herself somewhat.

"Well?" Celebi called. "Do you see anything yet, my dear?"

Michelle paused, frowning, and Blitz moved closer to her. Maybe the proximity would help. She took a deep breath, and then there was another dizzy spell, just like the one before—

* * *

_"__I've even heard there's one in a volcano. I've never actually seen one myself, but…if there is, that'd be incredible! Don't you think so? I'm sure it's still there if it is; no one would ever dare take a Time Gear."_

* * *

Michelle blinked as her vision cleared. This one was different; it had only included a voice. But…that was something to go on, wasn't it? The person—or Pokémon—had at least mentioned a Time Gear. She wanted to think it was a start.

Michelle carefully straightened up and edged her way back down the slope. She sighed upon reaching the bottom, glancing at Celebi and Blitz.

"It was just a voice that time," she explained. "But they said, 'I've heard there's one in a volcano.' That sounds promising, don't you think?"

Blitz cocked his head to the side. "Hmm… That's a little unclear, but if they've heard _something_ special about this place, then…it's worth looking into."

"Right! We can always do a little more research later," Celebi agreed. "Maybe you'll get another Dimensional Scream here some other time. I think for now we could use another break, though."

Michelle nodded, and the trio started making their way back outside. While they encountered some resistance this time—a couple of particularly aggressive Monferno—Blitz and Celebi were able to fend them off. They looked a little worse for the wear afterwards, but at least they were close to the exit. Already, the air was easier to breathe, and Michelle found herself taking greater strides towards the cave's mouth.

And then she froze. There were numerous gleaming diamond eyes just ahead of them, so closely packed that it was hard to get a good count. Sableye—it had to be a pack of Sableye. Of course; it had been far too long since she'd last encountered any.

How long had they been there? Had they found the others yet? All she could do was brandish the staff she used to walk while Blitz and Celebi got into position and hope for the best.

* * *

At her next meeting, the numbers were better, and Michelle counted herself lucky for that. There were a few more Pokémon and even another human. She'd encountered several of the assembled group before, and they'd been on the fence about the idea. Still, their presence indicated some interest, and that was a step in the right direction.

"All right," she said. "I'm sure you've…noticed…the way the world is. The stillness and darkness and—"

"—the crazy Pokémon who'll bite your leg off just for walking in front of them, yes," a Jolteon finished. "I've noticed. You said you have a way to fix this, right?"

Michelle laughed awkwardly. Not exactly the way she'd phrase it, but he was close enough. She nodded as she idly rubbed her left arm. That was another new thing; it was still raw from that encounter with the Sableye, and now it matched her opposite leg.

"Yes. We're looking for artifacts called Time Gears," she explained. "If we gather enough of them, it's supposed to return things to normal. How they were before—you've heard of 'mornings' and 'daylight,' haven't you?"

Some of them blinked in confusion, but others nodded. Michelle was sure that some of them had been on their own long enough that the concepts were little more than whispered rumors. Others, though, must've had stories passed down to them from older friends and relatives.

"Well, I can explain more as we go," she went on. "But we have one Time Gear confirmed, and a strong lead on a second one. I'd like to be sure on at least five of them, but I think we have enough of a start for this to be worthwhile."

The one other human—an older man with matted red hair and a heavily scarred face—nodded in agreement.

"If there's something that might help, I think we should pursue it," he agreed. Then, he paused and added, "…I may need some help keeping up with everyone, though."

The implication was lost on no one. Michelle was one of the very few people who could understand Pokémon, after all. It was a side effect of the Dimensional Scream, or so she'd always been told—it would be difficult to communicate with her required Pokémon partner otherwise. She just laughed and nodded at the man's request.

"Yes, I think I can work something out for you," she replied. "Now then, the gears we know of are here and here. We've got a few more ideas, but we still need to look into them properly. Now, what we need you all to do is spread the word, look for supplies…things like that. Does that sound good for now?"

There were various noises of agreement, and, as the meeting went on, Michelle steadily grew more confident that the whole thing might work out after all.


	3. Turning Points

**Author's Note:** Slightly shorter chapter this time, but there are a couple of fun references here. Claire gets her first Dimensional Scream, Team AWD gets an indirect mention, and we meet Grovyle (technically) in this chapter! Not a bad haul at all.

* * *

**Chapter Three: Turning Points**

"Do you see anything, Claire?"

Claire took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she rested her hands on the pedestal. Lately, Michelle had taken her along on the Time Gear investigations. She wasn't sure why; her mother had everything under control, right? Besides, Michelle would be the one going back in time when it came to that. Still, she'd insisted on finding out whether Claire and Andrew had inherited her Dimensional Scream ability anyway.

At first, there was nothing but silence. Claire was acutely aware of the three sets of eyes on her. Michelle, Blitz, and Jack were all waiting to see whether or not she got a vision. She couldn't say that all the attention was making this any easier…

And then her head throbbed as the edges of her vision went white.

* * *

_A Weavile stood in front of a small group of other Pokémon, looking around at them defiantly. Then, she sighed, shook her head, and waved a claw at the Arbok and Drapion sitting behind her._

_"__Fine. Even _we_ know better than to take a Time Gear. We'll settle for discovering this place. Arbok, Drapion—let's go!"_

* * *

Just as abruptly as it started, the vision was over. Claire took a few more deep breaths as her eyes refocused. She glanced around at the others, and Michelle had an expectant look on her face.

"I take it this means—"

"I saw something, yeah." Claire scratched the back of her head as she went on. "I mean, I'm not really sure what was going on, but I saw something."

Jack looked up at her eagerly. "What was it like?"

Claire shrugged. "There were a couple of Pokémon standing around, and they were saying something about a Time Gear and how they didn't want to take it."

"So, that means there was one here, then," Michelle muttered. "Here, let me see…"

The brunette approached the pedestal and set her hands on it as well. Claire didn't take it personally—she knew Michelle was double-checking for her own sake, not doubting that Claire had actually done it. Soon enough, Michelle locked up, a distant look on her face, and Claire assumed she'd seen something as well.

She stepped back and nodded. "Yes, I saw something similar. There was a Ditto telling everyone that they needed to be careful about revealing the location."

"A Ditto, hmm…" Blitz mused. "Do you think it was guarding this place in the past?"

"Possibly. Jirachi did mention that some of the locations had guardians, even if he couldn't remember what all of them were… I think we should go back and tell Celebi."

Claire nodded at her mother's suggestion, and the quartet turned around and made their way back out of the cave. It was a long trip back to their current home, and they needed to start the trek as soon as they could.

* * *

They were roughly halfway back to their cave when Michelle stopped Claire in her tracks. She blinked as her mother held an arm out in front of her, and then she curiously glanced down at the ground. There were dark, blotchy marks on the ground, heading out several feet ahead of them—they kind of looked like footprints.

"Be careful, Claire. Something happened here."

Michelle carefully went ahead of her with Blitz at her side. The Persian was on edge, haunches raised as he slinked along beside her. Claire and Jack exchanged looks before shrugging and trailing along behind their respective parents.

And, after a few more feet, it became obvious what had happened.

There were two large shapes in the distance, sprawled out on the ground awkwardly. A closer look revealed a Sceptile and a Charizard, claws reached towards each other but falling just short of the other's hand. Deep slashes and bite marks covered their bodies, and the Charizard's tail flame was out—there wasn't even any smoke coming off of it. Claire covered her mouth as Jack let out a sympathetic whine.

"Whatever did this might still be nearby," Blitz remarked. "Do you think we should warn the others when we get back?"

"Probably," Michelle agreed. "We may have to lay low for a little while before we look into anything else, too." Then, she turned and gently wrapped an arm around Claire's shoulders. "Come on, dear; let's go back—"

"Wait." Blitz cut her off, eyes intently focused on the Sceptile's body. "There's something moving over there."

He prowled closer, and, when Claire strained her ears, she could hear a soft whimpering noise. She couldn't deny she was curious, despite not wanting to look too closely at the scene. Keeping her eyes on the ground, she took a few steps forward, and soon she could make out a voice.

"N-no, please—don't come closer—I-I'm—it's—"

"Shh, it's all right." Michelle had joined Blitz near the bodies, and she'd knelt down and extended a hand to the quivering Pokémon. "We want to help you."

There, nestled against the Sceptile's back, was a wide-eyed Treecko. He'd been frantically pushing against his mother's unmoving back, and now he seemed to have settled on curling up into a trembling ball. His large yellow eyes flickered rapidly between the four new arrivals; maybe he wondered if they were there to finish the job.

"N-no, I c-can't—"

Claire tilted her head to the side. "Well, you gotta go somewhere, right? We don't live too far from here! I bet Celebi and Jirachi and Andrew would all like to meet you, too!"

Jack nodded eagerly, and the Treecko's eyes remained fixed on the Growlithe for a moment. Then, they slid over to Claire. He seemed to be considering his options, and his trembling had calmed down ever so slightly. Finally, he swallowed and gave one more look to his parents.

"We'll make sure they aren't left out here. I promise." Michelle extended her hand again. "Come with us. My name is Michelle—this is Blitz, Claire, and Jack. Do you have a name?"

His voice was so quiet that Claire almost can't make it out, but he did respond. "L-Leaf. It's Leaf."

Finally, he nodded, stepped towards Michelle, and curiously examined her hand. Claire giggled and knelt down nearby as well, extending both of her arms. It seemed to be a gesture that he recognized, as Leaf promptly scrambled into Claire's arms. He pressed his face against her shoulder and let out a muffled sound that was somewhere between a sob and a cry of relief.

"It's okay," she said, patting him on the back of his head. "We'll be home soon, and everyone's really nice there! Even Andrew, even if it doesn't look like it."

Claire could hear Michelle snort in amusement behind her. Still, Leaf seemed to be slightly calmer now. As everyone straightened up and reset their course towards home, Claire proceeded to ramble about whatever random things she could think of, and it wasn't long before Leaf had fallen asleep in her arms.

* * *

"Welcome back—oh! When did you pick up this precious darling?"

Celebi heard them enter the small cave, and she quickly fluttered over to Claire. Leaf had immediately caught her attention, and she proceeded to coo over the sleeping Treecko. Claire giggled and shook her head, trying not to jostle him too much as she responded.

"Just a little while ago, when we were on the way back! We, ah…"

She fidgeted, not wanting to finish the sentence. Michelle sighed; she'd seen a lot more than Claire had and was used to such things. It was still sad for her, of course, but Michelle was much better at dealing with topics like this.

"We'll have to go back and…bury his parents," she explained, wincing. "But we figured we could give him a place to stay for now. If he's up for it, we could explain our investigations to him later, too, but I don't want to push him too much right away."

"Oh." Celebi cringed. "The poor dear… I hope he'll be all right. Well, we'll do our best to take care of him, won't we?"

Jirachi and Andrew had been sitting nearby, looking over some old document Jirachi had managed to scrounge up. At this, however, they finally came over to examine Leaf. Claire was sure they'd been listening the whole time, but it was nice to see them take an active response anyway.

"Of course! Won't we, Andrew?"

The boy nodded, and Claire smiled. Sure, maybe this hadn't started out so great…but she was sure that everything would go just fine with Leaf.

The sentiment would end up being far more accurate than she expected, but she was content to leave the thought at that for now.


	4. Setbacks and Recoveries

**Author's Note:** Considerably longer chapter this time, but, hey! It's all important stuff! Also, we finally see Dusknoir, and I introduce yet another new character. We're also almost done with all the backstory stuff. We only need one more chapter after this one.

* * *

**Chapter Four: Setbacks and Recoveries**

While Celebi's suggestion to search places that looked out of the way had helped a few times, there were other times when it didn't.

The venture to Frozen Island had borne no results to speak of. At least, the parts they could actually _reach_ didn't seem to have anything relevant. The whole trip had just left Claire cold and shivering and in an unusually bad mood.

(She couldn't help wondering, again, why Michelle was bothering to bring her along. Why not test Andrew a little more? Maybe he had the Dimensional Scream, too, and they just didn't know it yet. Besides, Claire wasn't the one going back to the past, anyway, right?)

But Claire had never liked being cross, even when it was so easy to do in their current situation. And at least their next destination was far more successful. Claire tried to convince herself that made up for it.

They'd arrived at a vast expanse of desert, and a collection of conical pits was spread out in front of them. It was likely that they'd been proper quicksand back in the past, but, now, they were just as still and silent as everything else. Now, the pits just looked like large, oddly-shaped slides of sand.

Michelle crouched down and pressed her hands to the sand in front of her. Blitz looked expectantly at her, and, soon enough, the usual far-off expression appeared on her face. After a short pause, she smiled, nodded, and stood up.

"Yes, this place should work. Claire, why don't you try it, too?"

Claire sighed and approached the area her mother had just touched. Jack dutifully bounded over to her, and Claire leaned down and buried her hands in the sand. It took a little while, but eventually another wave of dizziness washed over her.

* * *

_There was a small, light blue Pokémon in the center of the chamber, looking out over the lake spread out in front of her. As she floated towards the soft green glow in the distance, the pink growths on her head bobbed behind her. Then, she dove into the water, reaching out to touch the small gear resting under its surface. After she was sure that it was safely in place, she burst back above the lake with a giggle._

* * *

"…There was a Pokémon there," Claire said when her vision refocused. "And a Time Gear. That _was_ a Time Gear, right?"

"Yes, it was." Michelle nodded. "I think we learned some good things here. We know there was a Time Gear in the area, and it looks like it may have had a guardian, too."

"We may have to be careful when we go back, then," Blitz mused, "unless you think we'll be able to talk to them about it…"

"We'll see." Michelle frowned. "For now, I think we should tell everyone what we found. It may help jog Jirachi's memory, too."

"Yes, let's hope so," Blitz agreed.

And, with that, the four of them slowly began trekking out of the area.

* * *

They were about halfway back to their home when Michelle agreed to stop and take a rest. Blitz had spotted a small pit nearby surrounded by jagged rocks. It was shallow enough that they could easily climb in and out of it, while the rocks would help hide them from view if anyone else was nearby.

Claire sighed as she sank down into a sitting position. She idly scratched Jack behind an ear as she mused over what they'd found. Really, she didn't mind helping out—it gave her something to do—and now they had something to tell everyone at the next meeting. That was good, right? Even if she sometimes complained about it, they had something to look forward to now.

Suddenly, Jack growled lightly, and Claire paused, wondering if she'd just rubbed him in a bad spot. That didn't seem to be it, though; Blitz looked on edge, too. The cat narrowed his eyes as he looked up at a spot near Michelle's head. There was a shape taking form there, framed by wispy strands of dark blue, and two large red-and-yellow eyes were fully visible before the rest of the Pokémon was.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you. I was just hoping I could rest here."

A Misdreavus was floating there, and she politely nodded at the others. She didn't seem too suspicious, in Claire's opinion, but…she _had_ kind of come out of nowhere. It made sense that her presence had set Blitz and Jack on edge.

"Oh, quite all right," Michelle replied, shifting to make room for her. "We won't be here too long—we were just on our way home. You're not interrupting anything."

"Home?" the ghost repeated. "I can't imagine anyone living out here…"

"Well, we kind of move around a lot," Claire explained. "So, like…we're not out here long term, or anything."

"Oh, really?" Misdreavus blinked. "That's curious. Are you hiding from someone, or something?"

Michelle frowned. "I…really don't think we should answer that question…"

"Fair enough." Misdreavus nodded again. "You're worried I'll tell some of the violent ones about you, right? Like those Sableye, for example."

This one caused a hesitant look from everybody, even Claire. It was kind of an odd thing to jump to—at least the second part. Misdreavus seemed to realize what she'd said, and she shook her head.

"You'd be surprised how unsubtle those packs are," she explained. "They aren't hard to spot; wild Pokémon usually don't travel in groups like that. It's not hard to assume they're looking for…well, _something_. Or some_one_. I've never been sure."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense." Michelle was still frowning, but she shook her head and added, "You're right; I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions."

"No, no, it's best to be careful. If it makes you feel better, I can tell you about myself—my name's Missy, and I've been traveling a bit myself."

Claire smiled at the introduction. There was something about it that made her relax; maybe it was just the fact that Missy was willing to give out personal information. Most of the more vicious Pokémon didn't stop for casual conversation like that, after all.

"Well, then, it's nice to meet you, Missy!" she announced. "I'm Claire, and that's my mom Michelle, and this is Jack, and that's Blitz."

Missy glanced between the four of them as Claire made her introductions. She nodded, a small smile crossing her face.

"Yes, it's nice to meet you, too."

"So, where were you headed, Missy?" Michelle prompted. "Home as well, or somewhere else?"

Missy shook her head again. "I don't really have a home. See, my mother died when I was little, and my dad…isn't really around. So I've just been wandering around for a while."

"Poor thing," Michelle murmured. "That happens a lot out here, unfortunately."

Claire nodded, feeling sympathetic herself. Getting abandoned on top of losing a parent really had to hurt. She and Jack still had at least one of their parents, and it was probably for that reason that things weren't even worse. Plus, they had each other's parent, too; that made up for things in a way. She couldn't imagine how lonely she'd be if she was truly on her own.

And Leaf at least had them, even if he'd lost _both_ his parents. It was with that thought that an idea occurred to Claire, and she blurted it out before she could stop herself.

"I know! Mom, what if we let her stay with us for a while?"

Michelle blinked. "Claire? We can't do that; if we travel in much bigger of a group, we'll be easier to find. I don't want to make her deal with—"

"But you let Leaf stay with us!"

Missy blinked at the unfamiliar name, and Michelle sighed. She seemed to be having trouble coming up with a solid counter to that point. Eventually, Michelle sighed again, biting her lip as she looked over at Missy.

"I guess you have a point," she admitted. "And it'll give us the chance to learn more about her. But if you do anything suspicious…"

Missy nodded. "Of course; I understand. I won't be a burden or anything. And…thank you."

It was with that that they set off again, this time in a group of five instead of four.

* * *

Missy blinked as Andrew and Jirachi entered the small cavern. "Wow, do all humans look so different from each other, or is it just you?"

Andrew blinked as well before looking at Michelle. "Mom, who's this?"

"Her name's Missy!" Claire announced. "She's gonna stay with us for a little while, too."

Michelle nodded, her eyes lingering on the Ghost-Type as she went on. "Not for too long, but… Anyway, where are Celebi and Leaf?"

"Here we are, dears! We all went out for supplies earlier."

Celebi fluttered into the room, carrying a small bag that looked like it was full of seeds and berries. Leaf was close behind her, carrying a small pile of branches. Both of them noticed the new addition, and Celebi promptly flew over to her.

"Oh, you said her name was Missy, yes? Well, it's nice to meet you," she greeted.

Missy nodded lightly as she looked around. "Yes, same to you."

Andrew set down the stack of tattered papers he was carrying before sitting down near the cave wall. Then, he glanced over at Missy as he idly rubbed Jack's head. She was curiously looking at him again, and Andrew shrugged.

"And about what you were saying…no, that's normal," he said. "Most humans are like that."

Claire nodded, giggling at Missy's surprised expression. Andrew had Michelle's darker hair, though his was straight, and his eyes were blue. She, on the other hand, was blonde and brown-eyed, though her hair was wavier like her mother's was.

"They both look like a mix of their parents, in a way," Celebi commented absently. "Just in _different_ ways." Then, she winced and added, "Oh, sorry, Michelle; I know it still hurts for you, even though it's been…what, fifteen years now? Or is it sixteen?"

Michelle just smiled and shook her head, no doubt trying to divert the topic. "Celebi, you know you're the only one here who understands what 'years' are, right?"

"Well, I do, too," Jirachi said, tilting his head to the side. "It's just been so long that I've forgotten what they're like."

"_Years_?" Missy blinked. "I heard that they used to exist, but…"

"Well, maybe if you come to our meetings, we can explain it better!" Claire suggested. "And then you can see the other humans we know, too. There are only three of them, but one of them has _red_ hair. And there are two ladies my mom's been trying to recruit who have darker skin, too. It's really interesting!"

"Mm, we'll see about that," Michelle murmured. "Maybe not the next one, but…if she sticks around long enough, maybe the one after that."

"Of course; I understand," Missy replied, absently looking around. "I suppose I could help out around here for now, then."

Claire nodded and went over towards the pouch of food Celebi had collected. "Ooh, yeah, maybe we could sort through some of this stuff first! And then we could look at what Andrew brought in…"

Leaf had remained silent the whole time, but he started arranging his branches into a pile as Claire got to work. He curiously watched Missy as he did so, eventually shrugging and settling down near Andrew and Jack. Meanwhile, Michelle still looked uneasy, but Claire didn't notice; she was too excited about making another friend so soon.

* * *

Michelle kept her promise about not letting Missy come to their next meeting, which Claire supposed was fair. Even if it made her sulk, it made sense. Her mother had mentioned they needed to be careful about a Pokémon called Dialga finding out what they were doing, and they never knew when those Sableye would show up, either. Having fewer Pokémon who weren't an official part of the team being around would make them harder to find.

The team was getting larger with each meeting, though. This time, there were a couple more Pokémon, and the two other humans finally decided to join. After getting the new members up to speed, Michelle announced their current findings to everyone.

"All right," she said, "we're up to three confirmed spots now, in addition to our possible one. I'd like to get up to five before we go back."

"Five? Why five?" a Wartortle asked.

"I believe that's how many we need," she explained. "It's an old legend we've passed down in our family, ever since we got the Dimensional Scream ability. We've heard that Temporal Tower—which is where we need to take them—can be supported by five Time Gears."

The Wartortle nodded, and there were various sounds of agreement across the group. Claire wasn't paying much attention, despite how early it was. It was mostly information she already knew, after all. While she knew it was important, she couldn't help zoning out.

It wasn't until the meeting was over that Claire realized she'd dozed off, and Michelle sighed as she shook her awake. Groggily, she rubbed her eyes and shuffled after Michelle, hoping the next meeting would be more interesting.

* * *

Back at home, Claire was all too eager to play with Andrew, Leaf, and Celebi. Jirachi was always busy poring over some new information they'd collected, after all, fun as he was to talk to. As such, she was usually left with the other three and sometimes Missy.

The Misdreavus stayed with them longer than she claimed to have intended. She'd wanted to move out after a while, saying she didn't want to bother them too much. Still, Missy seemed to have gotten attached to the group.

It was odd, though, how she occasionally disappeared for long stretches of time. A few days, according to Celebi; she'd always had a knack for telling how much time was "supposed" to have passed. Claire was curious, and Michelle was suspicious. Missy always said she was helping them look for information—"I don't want things to get any worse, either, you know"—but it was hard to be sure.

It wasn't until they arrived at their next investigation point that Claire thought that maybe her mother was right to be doubtful.

They'd picked a cave on the northern part of Jirachi's old map. It was a pretty place—or at least Claire suspected it _had_ been pretty, back in the past. There were small gems studded into the walls; crystals, according to Jirachi. He'd decided to come along that time, as had Leaf. Celebi was still at their current home with Andrew, but the other two had been eager to stretch their legs and see what Michelle and Claire were doing.

They arrived at the furthest point of the cave without too much trouble. Blitz and Jirachi had fended off a couple of random wild Pokémon, but they'd been small enough in number that it hadn't been too hard. The cavern's endpoint was a large room with three giant crystals set up in a triangle. Or they'd been like that at some point, at least; one of them had fallen on its side and was split in half, while another one had been blown out of its original place altogether. There was a small jagged piece of it still rising out of the floor, but most of the crystal was on the opposite side of the room.

"Oh, dear," Michelle muttered. "I wonder what happened here… I hope this doesn't make it too hard to figure out what happened."

"I think there's enough to get a good reading," Blitz replied. "If nothing else, we can assume these crystals are important. They're bigger than the others, and you don't just have a large room like this for no reason."

"I agree. I'll see what I can do."

Michelle headed over to the closest one and hesitantly set her hands on it. Everyone was quiet, waiting to learn what she saw. Finally, Michelle stepped back and nodded in satisfaction.

"It seems they all need to be blue," she explained. "That opens a path to the lake."

"A lake?" Blitz repeated. "There's a lake here, too?"

"Yes, there is. Here, why don't you see what you can find?"

She gestured to Claire, and the girl nodded and stepped forward. Before she could check it for herself, though, there was an unfamiliar voice behind her, and she froze.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that."

They all turned towards the entrance, only to be met with a dark orb smashing into the ground in front of them. Claire coughed as the smoke cleared, and there was a large group of Sableye standing there, led by a Dusknoir. Michelle's eyes widened as she put an arm in front of Claire.

"Who are you, and how did they know to find us here?"

"Well, I can't tell you that much," Dusknoir replied coolly, "but I suppose you deserve some kind of answer. Master Dialga wants us to be rid of you, so we will get rid of you for him."

Blitz hissed, his whiskers crackling with electricity. "And you think we'll sit here and let you do that?"

He loosed the Thunderbolt, and Dusknoir lazily raised his arms and formed another Shadow Ball. It blocked the move, and he hurled it forward, causing another small explosion. The Sableye started charging towards them, eyes glinting as they raised their claws.

Jack barked loudly in an attempt to scare off the closest ones, spitting out an Ember attack when that didn't work. Meanwhile, Leaf valiantly attempted to shoot off a Bullet Seed at another Sableye; the attack hit, but the Sableye swatted him aside before digging into Jack. At his howl, Blitz tossed aside a Sableye who'd try to harass Michelle, growling and shooting another Thunderbolt at it.

Meanwhile, Claire backed up as her eyes widened, and she froze when her back pressed up against the wall of the cave. If one of the Sableye came after her now, she wouldn't have anywhere to go—

"Jirachi! Get Claire!"

She could barely hear her mother's voice over the pandemonium, and Claire's eyes fell on the Steel-Type. Jirachi had done his best to fight off a couple Sableye as well, teleporting around and causing them to swing around in confused circles. He nodded, quickly spotting her over in the corner.

"We'll hold them off! Now go!"

"Will you make it?" Jirachi shouted back.

"We have to try! _Just go_!"

Somehow, Leaf managed to scramble towards her, and Claire closed her eyes and tightly held onto him. No, no, this wasn't how it was supposed to have gone—

And then she felt Jirachi's hand on her shoulder, and there was the horrible sensation of being broken apart and reassembled, and they were back outside the cave with Jirachi gasping for air.

"H-hang on," he wheezed. "I'll need a second before I can get us all the way home."

Claire didn't have time to look back before he teleported them again, and they were suddenly met with Celebi and Andrew's confused faces.

"They're—they're going to come back, I know they will—" she croaked, and this only caused further alarm from the other two. But there was a small part of her, even as she said it, that knew this wasn't true.

* * *

The next meeting with the investigation team was…awkward, to say the least. Claire and Jirachi's announcement was met with silent stares from the other members. Eventually, someone—Gregory, one of the three humans—spoke up.

"Without Michelle, what are we going to do?"

She knew he'd meant it as a general question, not as a direct insult, but Claire couldn't help the twist in her stomach anyway.

"I-I can take over," she replied, failing to suppress a sniffle. "I've got the Dimensional Scream, too, you know. And we only need one more Time Gear."

They'd at least confirmed that there'd been a Time Gear there in the crystal-covered cave, after all. Even if Claire hadn't gotten to see it herself, she knew Michelle had. So now all they had to do was piece together the information and try to get a good idea for their last one based on that.

"If you want to wait…"

"No. We'll do it now."

There was another small part of Claire that noticed Missy hadn't shown up at their home lately. This was probably her fault for suggesting that they take her in. But, really, that was part of the reason why she had to keep pressing on. Claire had to make up for everything—and this was the only way she could.


	5. The Leap

**Author's Note:** This ended up pretty similar to part of the original draft of the story, but there are enough tweaks here and there that I'm still satisfied with it. At any rate, we get Fogbound Lake here, which I like, since I've always wondered how it'd look in the future. (Then again, that applies to all the Time Gear spots, which were fun to play around with in the previous chapters, too.) Also, we're done with all the buildup parts now! Main plot will start in the next chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Five: The Leap**

The pressure to find another Time Gear was immense. Claire had to find another one soon, and she had to be _sure_ of it. It was tempting to check at Dark Crater again, but that was risky due to how far away it was. It would take too much time that they didn't have.

Dusknoir had already come after her once, and he probably would again (or at least send the Sableye after her). They couldn't just wait around for him to find her. Of course, it might take longer now that he didn't have someone giving him an inside line. Still, that wasn't very comforting.

Fortunately, Celebi had given her an idea soon after…_the incident_ had happened, and it turned out to be a good one.

"Well," she said as she frowned at Jirachi's map, "you said there were two at lakes, right?" Claire simply nodded, and Celebi continued, "So, what if we look at a similar place?"

"Oh…" Jirachi nodded. "That makes sense. There could be some kind of connection between the areas. With that in mind…" He tapped a certain spot on the map. "…if I remember correctly, there were a lot of rumors about this place here."

Claire peered at the area he'd indicated. There was a small body of water drawn near a forest, and the faded text read _Fogbound Lake_. It seemed pretty promising, provided Jirachi's memory served well enough. And, best of all, it was close to their current home, too.

"All right. Thanks. …I'll try it."

The two Pokémon shared a look, and there was a short silence before either of them spoke up again.

"Are you sure you want to go right now, Claire?" Celebi said gently. "No one would fault you if you weren't ready to…"

Claire sighed. "Well, I…I have to do it. I'll be fine. Leaf?"

He looked up at her and nodded. Leaf had disappeared for a little while after the event at Crystal Crossing, and he'd come back as a Grovyle. No one was sure where he'd gone or how he'd pulled off the evolution, but he, like Claire, was more ready than ever to get things wrapped up.

"Yes, I'll come with you," he replied. "…Let's go."

With that, the two of them left the small clearing. Jirachi and Celebi shared another look before sighing and going off to look for Andrew. If they couldn't get Claire to talk about it, maybe they could at least make him feel better.

But Claire had to do this. If nothing else, having something to do would help her think of something besides her mother.

* * *

They arrived at the area relatively unscathed, with Leaf deftly fighting off a wild Pokémon or two in the forested area nearby. Claire paused to scan the clearing they'd just entered. Several large fissures zigzagged across the ground, and there was a large pile of rubble surrounding a pedestal up ahead. The most notable feature was the towering landmass up ahead; frozen streams of water cascaded down from it.

"Well, I'd assume that's where the lake is," Claire commented wryly. "All we have to do is figure out if the Time Gear's up there."

Leaf nodded. "…and how to get up there, I'd assume."

Claire grinned as she took a few steps forward. She needed to find a good spot to try and get a Dimensional Scream. While she was sure the solution wasn't too complicated, she had to be sure.

"Maybe this would be good?"

Leaf darted ahead of her, and he'd perched himself on the edge of the pedestal. He had a point—if there had been some kind of monument there before, it had to be there for a reason, right? Maybe it was something important to the area.

Nodding, Claire approached the pedestal as well, carefully stepping around some of the larger pieces of rubble. (One of them resembled a large claw, she noted.) Taking a deep breath, she leaned forward and placed her hands on it.

She instantly tensed up, feeling her ability activate. She could only see were vague outlines at first, but Claire eventually heard voices, and it didn't take much longer to identify exactly what she was seeing.

There was a fairly large group of Pokémon standing in front of what had to be the original, assembled statue—it depicted Groudon. The group around it consisted of a Corphish, a Meowth, a Chimchar, a Cubone, a Cacnea, a Vulpix, a Shinx, and an Absol, and they were obviously discussing the statue.

* * *

"_Hey, hey! I saw some kind of inscription on the base of the statue earlier!"_

"_Well, what did it say?"_

"_Something about the 'heart of Groudon,' whatever that means."_

"_There's a hole up there in the statue's chest."_

"_The 'heart of Groudon' must be whatever goes in there… So what could it be?"_

_The Meowth had a vacant look on her face as the group buzzed with conversation. She then turned to the Chimchar, who had been standing back a few feet with an apprehensive look on his face._

"_Try putting the Drought Stone in there!"_

"_Is that the stone I found earlier?"_

_He obliged, and suddenly, the area was blindingly bright._

"_What just happened? The fog's gone!"_

* * *

That was the clearest vision Claire had ever had, she realized as she snapped out of it. Leaf was now giving her a quizzical look.

"Well, what did you see?" he prodded.

"Apparently, the path's hidden in the past, but there's a way to fix that. There's an item called a Drought Stone that we have to find, and it goes inside the statue. That lifts the fog and will let us explore there," Claire explained.

"And that will let us see where we need to go?"

"It should!"

Stepping away from the statue, Claire couldn't resist jumping into the air and clapping her hands together. Leaf gave her an amused look; he didn't express himself quite as freely as she did, but she could tell he shared her excitement. They needed a little more information, but that was a good start. Now they knew there was some kind of blockade here in the past, and they knew how to clear it up.

"Hmm, let's see…" Leaf mused. "Now that we know what this is for…"

"…we should try to get a view of the Time Gear, yeah," Claire finished.

Leaf jumped down from the pedestal and darted ahead of her. Claire wished she had his speed at times—it would've made getting around much easier. Still, she caught up to him soon enough; Leaf had paused at what looked like a cave entrance. He nodded at her when she approached him.

"I'm guessing this leads up to the lake," he said. "…Let's be careful."

Claire took another deep breath. "Yeah… I know."

It wasn't much different from any of the other caves they'd trekked through before, really. Claire had gotten used to the occasional feral Pokémon, and the newly-evolved Grovyle's quick strikes took care of them easily enough. She wished she could contribute more than a few surprise hits, but it didn't bother her as much as it used to.

When they finally reached the top, Claire frowned. There was nothing that looked like a lake up here, at least not yet. The bone-dry ground was much like the land in a lot of other places they'd been, and that alone was disappointing. She at least thought there'd be _something_ different up here…

Well, no use complaining. She followed Leaf towards a row of hills in the back of the area, and they found a small gap they could slip through. Once they were through, Claire's eyes widened.

"Wow," she breathed as she took in the area.

There was a large expanse of water spreading out in front of them, and a geyser had frozen mid-eruption in its center. Even standing still, it was a sight to behold, and she was sure it had looked even better back in the past. Leaf gave her another amused look, but he nodded before going on.

"It…really is something, isn't it?" he admitted. "Why don't you see if you can get anything here, too?"

"All right; let's see…"

Claire strode towards the water, knelt down, and placed her hands in it. She felt it move around her skin before sticking right back in one place again, cool and almost thick in a way. Water always felt so _weird_—

And then the telltale signs of her ability started up again.

* * *

_"Don't worry, Azelf. I'll be fine. I may not have the same natural defenses here as you and Mesprit do, but…you forget about my own abilities."_

_"Fair enough, Uxie. I know you've got something in mind, but do be careful, all right?"_

* * *

Claire sighed in relief as her vision refocused. She may have been getting used to the Dimensional Scream's effects, but it still gave her such a headache. As she stood up, Claire shook off her hands, and the droplets of water remained suspended midair afterwards.

"There were two Pokémon talking to each other," she explained. "They called each other…Uxie and Azelf, I think? They were talking about defending things, and they mentioned someone called Mesprit."

Leaf idly scratched his chin as he mulled over this information. "Do you think this means that one of them was the guardian here, then?"

"It would make sense…" Claire frowned. "I wonder if one of them was the Pokémon I saw back in the desert. And in that case…maybe one of them was at the lake Mom saw at the crystal cave, too."

Leaf nodded. "It's definitely something to consider. Let's go back and tell everyone what we found."

With that, Claire followed him back through the cave down to the base of the area. Not much later, they were on their way through the forest and begging the trek home.

And, as they made the journey back, Claire couldn't help feeling the shadows in some places were longer than usual—a little bit more _not right_ than they'd been before. It was probably just her imagination, though. They had to hurry; the sooner they could tell Celebi and Jirachi, the sooner they could make the trip back to the past and fix things.

However, in their rush, neither of them noticed the single Sableye watching them from behind a nearby tree.

* * *

There was one more meeting of the planetary investigation team just before Celebi intended to send them back. They made it as quick as possible; it was too rushed for Claire's liking, really. Still, she knew that Jirachi didn't want to risk Dusknoir or the Sableye crashing the meeting.

There were too many eyes on her as Claire explained everything she and Leaf had found. Then, Jirachi discussed the time and place he'd picked out; an area called Treasure Town that had existed just before the fall of Temporal Tower. Finally, there were hurried well-wishes from all of the Pokémon and humans in the group. It felt so sudden and not nearly as encouraging as it should be—

"You'll be fine, dears," Celebi murmured as everyone scattered. "And they know it. Don't worry, all right? Let's go."

Claire and Leaf nodded at each other, and then they set off.

* * *

Traveling back to the past to set the plan into motion was perhaps the riskiest thing they had to do. It was hard to imagine something more dangerous than outrunning Dusknoir and his Sableye minions, but there was one simple thing that put time travel miles ahead of the sinister pack of Ghost-Types.

The Passage of Time.

Celebi was still capable of using her time travel abilities to limited extents, but thanks to the paralysis, any attempt to go far back enough had to be aided by her Passage of Time. The most unfortunate thing about it was that the portal was on a cliff not too far from Temporal Tower. Celebi herself frequently cursed their luck about the passage despite her usual upbeat personality. It had resulted from some kind of deal between Dialga and some Celebi who had lived a long time ago (before Dialga had become Primal Dialga, of course), as the past's Celebi had often collaborated with Dialga to make their time traveling easier and stronger.

There was nothing they could do about it now, of course, except to cross their fingers and hope for the best.

Dusk Forest was unusually silent as Celebi led Claire, Leaf, and Andrew through the twisting pathways. It was too dangerous to teleport directly to the Passage of Time, so they'd had to settle on passing through the nearby forest in an attempt to throw off any pursuers. Normally, Dusk Forest was filled to the brim with hostile Pokémon, but this time, it was suspiciously empty.

It was almost like the inhabitants, in a collective moment of clarity, had somehow sensed that something important was about to happen. That was a generous assumption, though. No one could shake the sensation that something else had scared away the forest's residents, hoping that whatever that "something" was, it wouldn't turn out to be Dusknoir, or, worse, Primal Dialga himself.

Fortunately, Celebi knew Dusk Forest well, and it didn't take them long to reach the plateau that housed the Passage of Time. A small blue orb was glowing faintly in front of them; it was one of the only things in the world of darkness capable of generating its own light. Celebi flew over to it, humming a mysterious melody as she hovered around in circles. It began to expand rapidly, creating a door-like shape slightly taller than Claire. A few stray beams of light formed around it, creating a hallway of sorts.

Then, Celebi then flitted back towards Claire and Leaf as a resigned look spread over Andrew's face. He wasn't actually going with them; he'd just come to see his sister for one last time.

"Good luck," he said quietly, putting a hand on Claire's shoulder.

"Thank you."

Claire hugged him, and Andrew's lips twitched upwards into one of his rare smiles. She then took Leaf's claw in her hand and stepped towards the portal. He strode forward with her, a determined look on his face. Despite everything that had happened, they'd come this far together, and that was a comforting thought.

"It's ready, my dears!" Celebi announced eagerly. "I have every confidence that you can put a stop to this dreary world we live in."

"We will, Celebi! Don't start doubting us now."

"You won't have to deal with it much longer," Leaf added. "We promise."

With that, Claire and Leaf entered the glowing blue passage. Suddenly, the ground vanished from beneath them, and they began spinning through the passage wildly as light swirled around them. It grew brighter the faster they traveled, and holding onto Leaf's claw became steadily more difficult.

"Don't let go!"

How she could hear him was a mystery, as a loud whirring sound was now accompanying the ever-faster spinning. Out of the corner of her eye, Claire could see an odd, dark shape that sharply contrasted with the rest of the blue light, and her stomach twisted into a nervous knot. Whatever was casting that shadow was moving towards them much too quickly.

"Move over! Don't worry about me!"

It hurt to do so, as the shock was obvious on Leaf's face, but Claire wrenched her hand off of his claw and shoved him away from her. She spread her arms out and managed to position herself in front of him, guarding the Grovyle in the only way she could. The black blur collided with her, and she felt sharp fingers rake their way over her body as it passed by her. The injury barely registered until she saw blood floating up around her.

"Claire! _Don't let go_!"

Leaf had somehow made his way back to her and was fiercely clutching onto her hand. A sense of numbness was now passing over her body; she could barely even see her hand, let alone feel it. It was impossible to keep holding on at this point, and Claire felt herself slipping out of Leaf's grasp again.

"I can't!" she protested.

"What happened?"

Leaf's bewildered voice was the last thing Claire heard before they were flung apart. Pain tore through her body, as if she was being rapidly shrunken, and it ended with a persistent throbbing in her head. She felt herself crashing into something soft, suddenly wondering who she'd even been speaking with as she blacked out.


	6. A Chance Encounter

**Author's Note:** And here we get into the main-game stuff, with a considerably longer chapter this time around. Lots of important stuff, though! We meet the partner here, and it's from his point of view, too. (Oh, and for the record: I do know Zubat's a guy in-game. I just made him a girl here for the sake of having more female background characters.)

* * *

**Chapter Six: A Chance Encounter**

Treasure Town was abuzz with activity despite the late hour, as it always was. Various exploration teams gathered across the plaza, with particularly long lines in front of the Kecleon brothers' shop and Kangaskhan's storage booth. It all looked so normal and easy… They went about their usual activities, restocking their supplies after their day's missions, unaware that this could ever be difficult for anyone.

Felix the Chimchar weaved through the crowds with his typical slow gait. It was a relief that none of the Pokémon in the area were paying attention to him. He'd gone through the plaza enough times that most of the regular visitors recognized him, and he really didn't want any spotlight right now. If anyone noticed him, they'd just ask where he was going—like they didn't already know.

Sometimes Felix wondered why he even bothered trying anymore, as he was that time after he managed to push his way past Duskull's bank. Every time he worked up the courage to go through Treasure Town and approach the Wigglytuff Guild, he would just talk himself out of it. Felix would always came up with a list of his faults and other reasons why he'd be unable to join, which seemed to grow larger every day, and he usually ran off before he even stepped on the sentry grate.

But he insisted on trying anyway. It was becoming something of a ritual, so he'd feel just as bad if he _didn't_ do it.

Finally, Felix arrived at the crossroads at the edge of town. The stairs leading up to the guild towered up over him, the building at their end seeming to taunt him. He gulped and took a few steps forward, mentally prodding himself into gear.

Before Felix set foot on the first step, a couple of the guild's recruits exited the building, and he froze. Their voices were easily recognizable, since he'd passed by many of the guild's recruits when they visited Treasure Town. Sunflora and Corphish were loudly discussing the list of items they had to go buy before dinner, and they'd come down and see him before too long. Felix took a few steps backwards, and then he turned around and fled before they noticed him.

His legs instinctively carried him to the nearby beach. Felix sighed and sat down cross-legged on the shore, trying to calm down. It was pathetic; he hadn't even gotten up the stairs this time. At least it was easy to distract himself while he was at the beach… Felix couldn't help but smile as he watched the setting sun reflecting off the ocean's gentle waves.

It was also easy to lose track of the time while he was there. Felix shook himself after nearly half an hour, not sure how that much time had managed to pass so quickly. Brushing the sand off his legs, Felix shook his head and started to turn back to the path towards Treasure Town. He'd have to try earlier the next day, when the beach wasn't such a welcome distraction.

However, he was suddenly aware of the fact that he hadn't been alone on the beach. He hadn't been paying attention earlier, since he'd been too busy admiring the sunset, but Felix could hear an annoyed muttering nearby. It was tempting to just run away like he'd done earlier, but whoever it was hadn't noticed him, either… Cautiously, Felix tiptoed back down the beach, and his eyes widened when he stopped.

A Meowth was sitting down near the shore's edge, leaning against a nearby rock as she scooped up some water. Then she rubbed the water over her fur, trying to rinse out the blood that had been matted into it. She winced as some of the salty water stung the wounds that most likely provided the blood.

There was a deep cut that ran from her chin down the length of her body, stopping just above her leg. Another one ran across the side of her face, and Felix gulped when he noticed her eye on that side looked blurry and unfocused. There was also a small notch in her ear, though it didn't seem to have bled as much as the other cuts had. What Meowth could have done to get such an injury was not something he wanted to think about.

She suddenly realized that Felix had been staring at her, and she jumped as she noticed him.

"Hi, there. I don't suppose you know where this is, would you?"

She was currently nursing heavy wounds, and she was more concerned with where she was? But then Felix paused, puzzling over her odd phrasing. How could she not know where they were?

"Um…the beach near Treasure Town? Why do you ask?"

After a pause, she shook her head. "I feel like that name should sound familiar to me…but I'm not sure where I've heard it before…"

"You really don't know?" This was getting weirder and weirder, Felix thought, but he didn't say that aloud.

"Nope." She grinned as she stood up and stretched, apparently having decided she'd cleaned herself up well enough. "I don't really know why I'm a Meowth, either, but oh well?"

Now Felix was sure his eyes were bugging out of his head. "What do you mean, you don't know why you're a Meowth?"

"I'm really a human, of course! That's one of the only things I do remember. Oh, by the way, my name's Claire… I think… Yes, that's right, it's Claire. What's yours?"

Felix's mouth moved silently for a few seconds. He was sure that if he had actually been speaking, he'd just be releasing gibberish. She was clearly a Meowth; how could she have been a human?

Well, that would explain why she didn't seem to know what Treasure Town was. Humans were practically non-existent in the area, so it was rare that any of them passed through the town square. Felix had never actually seen a human himself and had only heard stories about them. Still, there wasn't a way he could rationalize her being a Meowth.

He shook himself, realizing that she was still waiting for him to answer.

"I'm Felix. I live around here, so, uh…I guess I could…show you around a little?" he replied awkwardly.

Claire's eyes lit up. "Really? You would do that?"

"Um… Should I not? Y-you did ask where we were just now…"

There was another pause as Claire scratched the back of her head. "Never mind. Forget I said that. It just seems like I should know something that I can't remember again…"

Felix wasn't sure how to respond to that. Apart from the fact that Claire had mysteriously ended up on the beach without knowing where she was, she seemed to have no memory of whatever she'd been doing before then. While he had trouble saying "no" to others, and he really did want to help Claire, he doubted he'd be the best Pokémon for the task, if only for his lack of self-esteem.

Before he could say anything else, Felix had the impression that there was someone behind him. Claire looked up as Felix tensed slightly, and she pointed over his head.

"Hey, are those friends of yours?"

He bit his lip, hoping it wasn't who he thought it was. Of course, it couldn't be that simple… Felix turned around to see a familiar pair. He definitely wouldn't call the Zubat and Koffing "friends." They were more like "acquaintances," and that was putting it nicely.

Felix had seen the two of them around Treasure Town several times before, and they seemed to have a particular interest in him. He was unsure if they were in an exploration team or not, but he doubted it. Anyone who could pick on him as often as they did were unlikely to have the time to go out on rescue missions. It was probably his fault, though; if only he didn't carry around his precious Relic Fragment so much, they never would have noticed him in the first place…

"Hey, kid. You got that treasure with you today?" Zubat asked, her voice as impatient as usual.

"N-no," Felix answered defensively.

However, he unconsciously tugged on the strap of the bag he was wearing. Koffing picked up on the nervous tic, his eyes drifting down to the bulge in the bag, and he clearly detected the lie.

"It's in there, isn't it," Koffing stated more than asked.

"So why don't you just give it to us?"

Zubat proceeded to tackle him, and Felix yelped as the impact jostled his bag. It was embarrassingly ratty, and he really should've replaced it by now… Being shaken like that caused the flap to come loose, and his Relic Fragment tumbled out onto the sand. Zubat grinned smugly as Koffing picked it up in his mouth and tucked it into the small pouch she'd strapped to her back.

"Blech, that thing tastes gross," Koffing complained. "Anyway, we're out of here! See you later, loser."

With that, the two of them flew off towards the small cave at the edge of the beach, and Felix felt his eyes well up. It was bad enough that he'd let them take it from him. Getting embarrassed in front of someone he'd just met made it even worse.

Before he could say anything, though, Felix felt a paw grip his wrist. Then, he was jerked forward, and he let out another embarrassing yelp as he stumbled. Claire had grabbed onto his arm, and she was dragging him along much more quickly than Felix was used to moving.

"W-what are you doing?"

"We have to get it back, obviously!"

His mouth suddenly failed to work again. Was she really offering to help him? Even though she'd seen him acting so stupid? Most Pokémon probably would've laughed and run off after that.

Not to mention Claire dealt with the occasional Pokémon they ran into fairly well. He'd tripped over a Shellos near the cave's entrance, and Claire quickly scratched him away before he could attack Felix. Then, she tackled a Kabuto out of the way before Felix could blink. She was handling herself better than he was, and she claimed to not even be a 'real' Pokémon.

Finally, they reached a small sandy area that fed back out into the ocean. Zubat and Koffing were sitting there, apparently halfway through a discussion of some kind. (Probably what they wanted to do with his Relic Fragment now, Felix thought depressingly.) Their mouths were still partway open when they looked over at Felix and Claire.

"Oh, great," Zubat groaned. "You're back. Well, whatever—"

She was cut off by a weak cracking of electricity. Felix's eyes widened as he looked over at Claire. To her credit, she looked just as surprised as he did. There were still a few sparks dancing around her claws; the attempted Thunderbolt had been fairly weak, but it did its job of surprising Zubat well enough.

"Give it back," she demanded.

"Come and get it if you want it!" Koffing taunted.

With that, Claire dashed forward and shot another Thunderbolt at him. It took Felix a few seconds to realize he should probably be helping out, and he hastily jumped towards Koffing and used Scratch. Koffing yelped in pain as he crashed to the ground, leaving Zubat by herself. She quickly glanced between the two—or at least, _would_ be glancing, if she had eyes—and growled in frustration.

"You know what? This thing isn't worth the trouble. Just take it back already!"

With that, she shook herself to loosen her bag, and the Relic Fragment tumbled out of it. Then, she grabbed Koffing and somehow lifted him onto her back. She groaned, the extra weight causing her to fly lower than normal, and fluttered out of the cave. Felix stared after them for a few seconds before turning back to Claire.

"Why…why did you help me?" he blurted out, realizing afterwards that he probably sounded ungrateful.

"Because you were nice to me?"

Claire's voice had a hint of confusion to it, as if she weren't entirely used to having anyone be nice to her. As Felix pondered that thought, another question popped into his mind.

"Wait a second! I thought you said you used to be a human… How'd you know how to do that?"

"Is that unusual?" Claire blinked. "I mean…tackling and scratching stuff isn't really that hard, but… Anyway, what _is_ this thing?"

The rapid subject change took a minute for Felix to process. However, he was happy to grab the Relic Fragment and show it to her. Felix gently moved the large rock so it was sitting on the sand between them. Claire leaned down on all fours and trotted up to it to get a better look, her eyes focusing on the geometric pattern carved into it.

"It's my Relic Fragment! Well, I don't know if it's really called that or not…" Felix paused before continuing more excitably. "I found that washed up here on the beach a while back. I'm not sure where it came from, but it feels really impressive, doesn't it?"

Claire was more focused on the Relic Fragment than him now. Her paw moved out towards it, and she cocked her head to the side as she touched it.

"I think I've felt something like this before… Oh, dang it."

Before Claire could remember what she'd wanted to say, she looked down at the sand. A few drops of red stained the white; her wounds had started bleeding again. She quickly stood up and took a step back before they could drip any blood onto the Relic Fragment. Felix swallowed nervously as he picked it up, and Claire looked back out at the ocean. It was more than a little strange; she seemed to be more worried about whether cleaning herself up with salt water again would be a good idea rather than the fact that she was bleeding.

"Hey! You know what?" An idea was magically forming in Felix's mind, and he wasn't entirely sure what had come over him. "I bet if we go over to the guild, they'll be able to find someone who can get you healed up. A-and then we could join, too!"

"The guild?" Claire repeated.

"Oh, right, I guess you don't know," Felix mumbled. "It's the Wigglytuff Guild… They send out exploration teams for all sorts of things. Mainly to help lost Pokémon or find missing items, but they do other stuff too…"

"Well, that sounds like fun! Let's get going!"

The cheery tone to her voice was surprising, partly because Felix had been talking so quietly himself. It also stunned him how quickly Claire accepted the idea, given how they'd just met. Still, he wasn't going to object. He'd never say so aloud, but he'd mainly suggested the idea because he felt like he'd be less likely to change his mind if someone was there with him.

"I-It's this way," he said as he led her back out of the cave.

Claire immediately followed him, and Felix tried to pick up his walking speed. It was embarrassing that Claire was walking just as quickly as he was even though she didn't know her way around... At least they got back outside soon enough.

It was fortunate that the guild was so close to the beach, or else Felix was sure he wouldn't even have offered. Of course, it was better than dragging Claire over to the bluff and letting her sleep there with her injuries untreated, but Felix was starting to wonder if her presence would really make him any less nervous when the stairs loomed over them. She _had_ helped him out just now, so it was the least he could do… Gulping, he trudged up the stairs as Claire gave him a curious look.

The aptly-shaped Wigglytuff Guild had deep shadows cast over it by the torches lining the pathway, making it look even more ominous than usual. Felix closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself down. When the Chimchar opened his eyes, he let out a surprised squeak; Claire was already trotting ahead of him towards the entrance.

"Hey, what's this weird grate for?"

She poked at it with her paw, but she didn't actually step on it. Before Felix could answer her, a voice he'd heard several times before was shouting up at them.

"Visitor _maybe_ detected! Visitor _maybe_ detected!"

"Well? Who IS IT, Diglett?"

"Um… I don't know. They stepped away…"

Claire grinned sheepishly. "I guess that's what it's for... Come on up here, then!"

"W-wait!"

Before Felix could protest further, Claire grabbed his arm and dragged him up to the sentry gate with her. He shuddered as the two of them stood on the cold metal bars. It was only a few seconds before the sentries continued, but it felt like an eternity.

"Are they BACK now, Diglett?"

"Yes! Visitors detected! Visitors detected! They're a Chimchar and a…um…a Meowth…I think?"

"What do YOU MEAN, you THINK there's a Meowth? Is there a Meowth OR NOT?"

"It is! It is! The feet are just weird…"

Claire curiously lifted up one of her bottom paws to examine it. Felix hadn't noticed it before, but there _was_ something off about Claire's lower paws. They seemed a bit too broad towards the front, although they were still distinctly Meowth paws. Were human's feet shaped like that? He didn't know, but it might back up her claim if so…

(Really, Claire herself was a bit odd, now that he was looking at her. Her legs and body were slightly longer than normal on a Meowth, but her head and arms were about the same size as usual. It made her look taller while altogether making her look slightly _off_, but Felix thought it would be rude to say that aloud.)

"WHATEVER! Just let them in!"

Felix's thoughts were cut off when the bars covering the door noisily clattered upwards, allowing them to enter. Felix took a few more deep breaths as Claire started walking ahead of him again. How could she be so calm?

The foyer was much smaller than Felix would've expected, now that he could see it. Claire started climbing down the entrance ladder, and it took Felix a few seconds to do the same. It was all right—Claire was there with him—he was _inside the guild_—he couldn't go back now…

The room they descended into was significantly larger. There were several Pokémon inside, despite the fact that it was late in the evening. However, they all seemed to be finishing up small clerical duties, as most of them climbed up the ladder that Claire and Felix had just come down. They all gave Claire stunned looks as they noticed her injuries, but she didn't seem to notice, as she was excitedly looking around the room.

"So, what do you think they'll have us start off with?"

Claire was interrupted by a loud squawk. The few remaining Pokémon, presumably direct recruits of the guild, all winced and hurried off to one corner of the room. Felix and Claire turned around to see an irate-looking Chatot.

"I assume you two are the ones Diglett and Loudred were talking about. Why are you just standing there? Come on down to the basement."

Felix blinked as Chatot approached another ladder and flew down the hole surrounding it. Shaking his head, he followed Claire as she obediently climbed down the ladder. Chatot was waiting for them in front of a door off to the far side of the room.

"Well?" he continued impatiently. "What is it you wanted?"

"We want to join," Claire announced.

Her ability to merrily ignore Chatot's tone of voice amazed Felix. Before he could marvel any further, though, Chatot's expression rapidly changed. The Flying-Type now looked ecstatic; he wasn't glaring at them anymore, at least. He turned towards the ornate door and knocked as well as his wings would allow him to.

"Guildmaster! We have some more new recruits, sir!"

"Let them in!"

Chatot leaned into the door to shove it open, beckoning towards Claire and Felix with his wing as he entered. Felix's heart rate spiked as he followed the bird inside; he wasn't sure if it was out of fear, excitement, or both.

Guildmaster Wigglytuff turned around as Chatot led the two into the room. He absently juggled an apple back and forth between his hands as he grinned at them. Chatot sighed when he saw the apple; Felix didn't have time to wonder what the problem might be before Wigglytuff started talking.

"More friends already? Well, that's a good thing! Oh, wait just a moment!"

Wigglytuff twirled around and set down his apple, walking over to a large box in the back of the room. He dug through it, tossing out several random items—Felix was sure he saw an oddly-shaped black key, among other weird things—before finding what he was looking for. Then, he set down a pair of identical tan travel bags marked with the guild's logo, two badges, and a pair of plain white scarves.

"You'll need an official guild bag," Chatot said, sounding annoyed again, as his eyes fell on Felix's tattered brown bag.

"Oh. S-sorry."

Felix wasn't sure why he was apologizing. It wasn't like he could have known the guild was so strict with their gear… Chatot's tone of voice just made him feel guilty.

"Well, anyway!" Wigglytuff seemed oblivious to Chatot and Felix's moods. "You'll need to come up with a name for your team, too! Chatot, get the registry!"

As Claire and Felix tied the scarves around their necks, Chatot hopped over to a low shelf near the box Wigglytuff had just been digging through. He balanced a clipboard on one wing and carried it over to Wigglytuff. Felix blinked as Wigglytuff took the registry; he hadn't thought about a team name at all, despite how long he'd wanted to join the guild.

He looked over at Claire, and she seemed to be mulling it over as well. It was then that Felix noticed that her scarf was orange. Hadn't it been white before? He looked down at his own scarf, seeing that it was now dark blue, and was even more confused. Felix was at least sure they'd been the same color before… Shaking his head, Felix tried to focus again.

"Um, do you have any ideas, Claire?" he asked timidly.

"Something that was important to me before…the color black? No…" She seemed to be talking to herself, but then she spoke up more clearly. "How about Team Shadow?"

"That's fine with me…"

"Okay, I've got that! Meowth and Chimchar are Team Shadow!"

Wigglytuff scrawled the info on the sheet of paper on the clipboard. Then, he handed it back to Chatot, who carefully returned it to the appropriate shelf. After he set it down, Chatot headed towards the door to the main room, glancing at Felix and Claire. It was then that he noticed Claire's wounds—how he'd ignored until now was a mystery, given how large they were—and he squawked in alarm.

"Guildmaster! What should we do about Meowth?"

"What do you mean, Chatot? Oh, you noticed!" Wigglytuff was still using a happy tone of voice, which made the implication that he'd noticed earlier and just not mentioned it even weirder. "Let's call Chansey's sister. Blissey is a great healer! Just show Team Shadow to their room for now."

"A-all right…"

Chatot sounded weary as he led the two new recruits out of the room. Claire herself didn't seem too bothered by the situation as they followed him down a long hallway. Meanwhile, Felix looked around in an attempt to distract himself. There were several rooms branching off the sides, apparently living quarters for the recruits, as small tables and hay beds were visible in all of them.

On the second-to-last room before the end, a Vulpix poked her head out of the door. She noticed Felix looking at her and giggled before darting back in to talk to the room's two other occupants. They were hard to see from a distance, but Felix thought they were an Absol and a Shinx. Maybe they were the other new recruits that Wigglytuff had mentioned?

Chatot gestured towards the last room in the hall when he stopped walking. As they entered, Claire darted over to one of the beds and sat down without any prompting. Felix, on the other hand, shuffled around nervously as Chatot focused on Claire.

"We'll do what we can. Blissey should be here soon."

After the Flying-Type left the room, Claire flopped down onto her back, flung her bag and badge off to the side, and spread her arms out. She seemed completely unconcerned about everything; in fact, she was grinning as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Hey, this is actually pretty nice! Do you think they'll let us start working tomorrow? Did you see that team over in the room next to ours? We should go talk to them later. Oh, who's Blissey, by the way?"

Felix was getting used to the quick topic changes. They were strange, yes, but at least he was keeping up with them now.

"Chansey runs a day care over in Treasure Town. Her older sister, Blissey, lives nearby—not actually in town, though—and she's got a nursing service."

"I see. Well, hey, let's go do something while we wait."

"Oh, that's not necessary, dear! I was in town visiting Chansey, so I got here quickly enough."

The large pink Pokémon was standing in the doorway, smiling gently. After pushing her cart of supplies into the room, Blissey squeezed inside and gave Claire a quick look over. She then pulled an egg out of her pouch, cracked it, and emptied the contents into a vial. After adding a few different berries, Blissey stirred up the concoction and handed it to Claire.

"I need you to drink half of that and pour the other half over your wounds, honey."

Nodding, Claire took a few sips, observing how much was left between each dose. She poured a little over the missing piece in her ear and the cut on her face, closing her eye as she did so, and the rest went over the long gash on her body. Felix's stomach lurched, partly because of how strange the mixture had been and partly because Claire's injuries glowed slightly as they tried to knit themselves together.

After a few seconds, the glowing stopped, and Claire's body twitched sharply. Startled, she took a deep breath and looked herself over. While she hadn't completely healed, at least the injuries had covered themselves up with scar material; they looked thick and rough, though. Blissey looked worried as she examined Claire, frowning as her forehead creased.

"That's the first time I haven't seen that medicine fully heal someone. Just how did you get hurt, dear?"

"Uh…" Claire held her head in her paws as she tried to think. "I'm not sure… I just woke up on the beach earlier and saw all the blood on me… I don't even remember how I got on the beach."

"Are you sure you're even well enough to be working here right now? Sounds to me like you must have gotten some nasty blows to the head from whatever attacked you," Blissey continued. "If you haven't got your memory in order, you should be resting up as much as you can."

"No, no, I'm fine." Claire was grinning again, though Felix had no idea why. "It's good enough that I'm not going to be bleeding all over the place anymore!"

Blissey didn't look totally convinced. "Well, whatever makes you feel better…but I don't like it. I'll be staying around here for a few days to make sure you're actually fine, all right?"

"Okay. Thanks for all you've done already!"

"You're welcome."

Blissey shook her head as she left the room. For a short time, Felix and Claire stared after her, and then Felix turned back to Claire. She didn't look much better at all, honestly, but she seemed happy enough… He found himself envying Claire, since he couldn't picture himself being that cheerful in her situation.

Maybe Claire's attitude would rub off on him eventually. Felix hoped so; she'd already helped him out against Zubat and Koffing, and without her he wouldn't have forced himself into the guild. He'd admit that was a good start.

It was then that everything sank in. _He'd joined the guild_. He'd wanted to do it for so long, and Felix was _finally_ about to become a real explorer. Before he realized what he was doing, Felix flung his arms around Claire, and she let out a surprised little meow.

"I-I know this is going to sound really dumb since we just met, but you have no idea how much this means to me! I couldn't believe that you'd do this for me… I've just wanted to join the Wigglytuff Guild for as long as I can remember…"

Felix sniffled, and he felt more pathetic than ever. Really, who blurted that kind of thing out? Claire probably thought he sounded stupid for admitting it, and he wouldn't blame her if she did. As he started to back up, however, Felix felt Claire's paws on his shoulders.

"Are you crying? Don't worry about it! This is going to be fun, right?"

Felix inhaled slowly as he pulled away, extremely embarrassed. Still, the fact the Claire hadn't laughed at him was reassuring. As he laid down on his bed and watched Claire curl herself into a ball, Felix managed to smile. Maybe, just maybe, things didn't have to be as nerve-wracking as he always made them out to be.


	7. The Search

**Author's Note:** And now we finally get some of Grovyle/Leaf's point of view! These kinds of chapters will be very important, as they'll provide the most "differences" from the main plot. Seeing the game from his view would've been really interesting. Anyway, as a bonus, there's even a second viewpoint at the end of this chapter from a couple of characters who are fun to write, too.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: The Search**

There was a persistent throb in the back of Leaf's head as he tried to open his eyes. Feeling the thick grass beneath him was a relief, though. He'd probably been out for a while, so it was good that he'd landed in a field instead of the middle of some crowded town. Leaf managed to sit up, grunting as he rubbed his eyes. Finally, after he shook his head a few times, his vision started to clear.

The sight that welcomed him was astounding. Dozens of colors he never would have been able to identify before filtered through the sky, courtesy of the large glowing orb—the sun, Jirachi had called it—sinking below the trees in the distance. Multicolored rays peeked up from below the grassy ledge he was sitting on, giving almost every blade its own unique appearance. Leaf crawled forward for a closer look, still unable to fully stand; his eyes refused to tear themselves away from the scene.

"Claire! Claire, look, isn't it—"

He abruptly cut himself off. Something felt _very wrong_; it was too quiet. After pushing himself into a wobbly standing position, Leaf turned around, and he skimmed the area with a growing sense of dread.

Claire wasn't there.

No, she had to be. How could they not be in the same place? Sure, she had let go of him there near the end… However, from the way Celebi had described the process, it was impossible for Claire to end up in a different time period than he had. _Where was she_?

_No, stop panicking_, the sensible part of his mind said. Leaf liked to think he was sensible, and he took a few deep breaths. Claire had to be around there somewhere. There was an expanse of trees in front of him; maybe she'd just landed in the nearby forest. She couldn't be too far.

Feeling satisfied with this explanation, Leaf gave one more look over his shoulder before darting toward the trees. He made a few quick leaps and landed up in a tree's branches, making him feel safer and giving him a wider view of the ground below. Really, a human shouldn't be hard to spot, but Leaf preferred to be cautious.

Every slight movement in the direction of the ground made him stop in excitement. Every time, though, it was just one of the forest's Pokémon, or the leaves rustling in the wind—which he was sure would have felt fantastic if he could stop to appreciate it—or even just the branches shaking under his own weight. The logical part of Leaf's brain was being replaced with pure fear the farther he went; there was no sign of his partner anywhere.

He finally burst through the other edge of the forest, a tiny part of him still hoping that Claire had found her way through the trees and was there waiting for him. Of course she wasn't; the only thing that greeted him was an empty plateau. The sun was completely set now, causing the area to sink into the darkness he was so familiar with. It just added insult to injury at this point.

Leaf panted, out of breath, gulping in air as he sank to his knees. Whatever happened back there in the Passage of Time, Claire had protected him from it; as her reward, she was out there alone somewhere. She was likely injured, and it was all his fault for not having faster reflexes. The rational part of his mind pointed out that he was being too hard on himself, but his continued panic drowned it out—he had no idea where she was and couldn't help her continue their mission like this.

"_Claire_!"

Leaf gave one last desperate shout and was met with nothing but an echo of his own voice. Wearily, the Grovyle sank back down to the ground, pushing his face into the grass and trying to make himself _calm down_. However, he subconsciously reached a claw out to his side, hoping beyond reason that maybe, possibly, he'd feel Claire's hand there as he closed his eyes.

* * *

Warmth spread over him the next morning, and Leaf wondered if he was dreaming. As he awoke, however, his blurry vision alerted him that, no, this was real; he was feeling the heat of the sun as it rose. A pale, golden-orange light cast itself over the tree tops, and Leaf sat there and stared at the sun in wonder for a few seconds. He probably looked stupid, as light was so normal here, but he was so used to the darkness that he couldn't help himself.

His eyes started to burn and water, but Leaf was reluctant to look away. As he cast his eyes to the ground, he couldn't help thinking _'Claire would love this,'_ and he clenched his claws as he closed his eyes again.

His reasoning was slowly returning now that he'd rested, and Leaf knew from listening to Jirachi's stories that humans were slightly more common in the past, but they were still rare. Surely he'd end up hearing if Claire was anywhere nearby.

Furthermore, she knew as well as he did where the Time Gears were located. If he looked for them on his own, not only would they _have_ to meet up eventually, but he'd still be doing something productive. Once they met up—_if_ they met up occurred to him, but he pushed that thought away—they could combine the Time Gears he found with any that she had. Also, if he came across any areas without a Time Gear, he'd know that Claire had been there already.

Leaf would much rather know for sure that Claire was all right, but given the circumstances, there was little else he could do.

It then dawned on him that while his plan was fairly sound, he still had no idea where he was right now. That was just a _slight_ hindrance. If Leaf could find his way to the Treasure Town that Celebi had meant to send him to, he could find his bearings from there, but until then…

There was a rustling in a bush nearby, disrupting Leaf's thoughts and causing him to whip around with an instinctive glare on his face. He relaxed slightly but still kept his guard up when he saw a small Skorupi stumbling towards him. The Bug-Type looked up at him nervously and scuttled backwards.

"Y-You're not...going to attack me, are you?" she asked, her voice quivering.

Leaf realized the way he'd raised his leaves probably looked threatening when he heard how scared she sounded. Guiltily, he lowered his arms and shook his head, and Skorupi sighed in relief. As she turned around, Leaf realized he had his chance for directions.

"Wait!" he called, and Skorupi dutifully paused. "I, ah, I didn't bring a map. Would you mind helping me get to Treasure Town?"

There, that didn't sound too strange, he thought… It at least didn't give away the fact that he had no idea where he was, or the fact that he was from a different time period entirely. Skorupi mulled over his words for a moment before smiling.

"Sure! As long as you promise to help me a little… I'm not very strong, you see…"

Leaf nodded. "It's the least I could do."

It was strange, he thought, as Skorupi eagerly darted up to him to show him the way. While Leaf had always been able to rely on other members of the planetary investigation team, trusting random wild Pokémon was something he'd never been able to do before. True, he needed to find his way around, but Leaf's mind had jumped to all sorts of conclusions there for a minute…

"So what's your business in Treasure Town? Are you in an exploration team or something?" Skorupi asked casually.

"No, I'm trying to meet up with someone," Leaf answered. Well, that much was true, at least. "Also, this may be a strange question, but you wouldn't have happened to see any—"

Before Leaf could finish his sentence, a large Staravia fluttered out of a tree near them. He squawked loudly and narrowed his eyes at the two Pokémon below him.

"What do you think you're doing near my flock's nest? I won't let you pass—"

Skorupi stared up at the Flying-Type in fear, quivering as she curled herself up into a ball. Remembering his end of the bargain, Leaf gave Staravia a cool glare and darted up the tree with a Quick Attack. He rammed into the bird, and Staravia shrieked as he tumbled through the air. Leaf managed to leap onto Staravia's back, slashing at him with a Leaf Blade. The attack combined with the fact that Leaf was still sitting on his back caused Staravia to slam down to the ground, panting.

Leaf jumped away from Staravia, and Skorupi gave him an awed look. As she dashed ahead of him again to lead the way, Leaf looked over his shoulder at the injured bird.

"I'm sorry I had to do that, but you attacked us first. We had no idea you'd made a nest here."

"You _are_ as strong as I thought you were," Skorupi complimented. "It's no wonder that you managed to get all the way out here by yourself. I just got lost…"

"I'm just keeping up my end of the deal."

The Bug-Type looked dismayed at Leaf's curt remark, but he was genuinely baffled. Defending himself had been a basic necessity before, and he didn't see why it required praise.

The rest of the trip passed mostly in silence. It didn't bother Leaf, but it did seem to upset Skorupi. She occasionally tried to engage him in conversation, and Leaf answered in as short of sentences as possible. He did feel guilty every time Skorupi got a downcast look on her face, but it was surprisingly difficult to answer without saying something that would sound out of place. Leaf was actually grateful the Staravia had interrupted them when he did, since he now realized he would have sounded foolish asking Skorupi if she'd seen any humans around lately.

When they arrived in Treasure Town, Leaf stopped and looked around in awe again. The central plaza was just as alive with activity as Jirachi had said it was, with dozens of Pokémon taking care of business and exchanging greetings with each other. Skorupi giggled when she saw Leaf's expression.

"You really are new around here, aren't you?"

Leaf simply nodded in reply. He'd never seen so many Pokémon gathered together so casually before, after all. Even the planetary investigation team meetings had been rather tense, even if they were preferable to groups of wild Pokémon.

It took him a few seconds to realize that Skorupi was speaking again.

"Hey, my big brother's in an exploration team, so I can give you this Wonder Map he gave me. If you want it, I mean."

She'd been wearing a small bag around her neck, and she fished around in it with her tail. Her pincers clamped onto a rolled up sheet of paper, and she pulled it out and handed it to him. Leaf's eyes widened as he unrolled the map; Treasure Town took up a large portion of it, but every location of the past world was included in a fair amount of detail. As one of his claws brushed over a portion of the top-right corner, the map somehow presented him with a bigger display of the area, as opposed to Treasure Town's previous focus.

"This looks incredibly valuable. Why would you give it to me?"

"W-well, if you don't want it, you don't have to take it," Skorupi mumbled, blushing slightly for some reason. "It's just, you know, you helped me get back here safely… And you said you didn't have a map, and I can just ask my brother to give me another one…"

"No, no, I'm grateful!" Leaf replied defensively; such generosity would take some getting used to, though he doubted every Pokémon here would be as helpful as Skorupi. "I'm just surprised."

"Oh, all right, then! Well, I hope you find who you're looking for!"

With that, Skorupi cheerfully scuttled away from him and called out to a Spoink in the crowd who seemed to recognize her. With a brief smile, Leaf looked back down at the map—a Wonder Map, Skorupi had called it—and glanced over the area he'd selected. It was a forested area with the text _'Treeshroud Forest'_ beneath it. That had been the first Time Gear location Michelle found, he remembered. (In fact, he was starting to realize the Grovyle she'd seen in her vision must've been him.)

"Might as well start with that one," Leaf murmured.

With that, he rolled up the map and started walking back towards the edge of the plaza. Leaf quickly stopped himself, however; he should have known better than to go out without supplies. Scanning Treasure Town again revealed a long line in front of a stall that seemed to be selling various exploration tools. It wasn't much, but he and Skorupi had picked up a few coins while walking, and he should have had enough for some basics… Leaf eagerly darted into the line, wanting to get started on his trip as soon as possible.

* * *

In the depths of Treeshroud Forest, an exploration team consisting of a Sceptile and a Lucario calmly shoved through some of the thick underbrush. The Sceptile walked slightly ahead of the Lucario, her observant eyes scanning the area. They were currently on a rescue mission, and they'd gone pretty far without finding their charge, a lost Mudkip.

Of course, it had to be raining at the moment, and it was late in the evening as well. It would have been dark enough in the forest anyway, and the thick clouds didn't help matters. They really needed to find Mudkip before the conditions got any worse.

"Wait, Kerry," the Lucario called. "I think I feel something."

The aura-sensing Pokémon paused and closed his eyes, and his partner waited for him to continue. His eyes then snapped open, and he whipped around and pointed towards the path they'd just been walking on.

"Maryn? What is it?" Kerry asked warily; they hadn't seen many Pokémon on the way there, after all…

A blur suddenly rushed past them, and Maryn's eyes narrowed; the passing Pokémon was clearly the one he'd just sensed. Instinctively, he formed an Aura Sphere between his paws and hurled it forward. There was a low, startled grunt as the Pokémon tumbled to the wet ground.

Kerry and Maryn watched as the Grovyle rose back to his feet, sputtering and trying to wipe the mud off his body. The tattered bag he'd been wearing, something he must have gotten second-hand from one of the Treasure Town merchants, had fallen to the ground and spilled some of its meager contents. He then shot the pair an annoyed look as he tried to re-gather everything.

"Pardon me. I just need to pass through here," he said curtly, though he seemed to have no malice in his voice.

"Whatever for? It's late, and I'm sure you've noticed the weather isn't exactly ideal," Maryn replied, a hint of sarcasm in his voice by the end of his sentence.

"Please, Maryn, he doesn't seem to mean any harm," Kerry interrupted gently. She then reached into her treasure bag, pulled out an Oran Berry, and handed it to Grovyle. "We apologize. We're out late on a rescue mission, and everything is making us jumpy."

The other Grass-Type took her gift, but he still looked a bit guarded as he ate the berry. As the light bruises on his body began to heal, he gave them another odd look that Kerry couldn't quite decipher. Maryn seemed to be having trouble reading Grovyle as well, as he currently had one arm folded over his chest and was resting his head in his other paw. The gesture was completed by the Lucario's slightly-narrowed eyes.

"Thank you. I'm…also looking for someone," Grovyle responded, and he gave them a grateful nod as he turned around. "Good luck on your mission."

With that, he bounded away, and the pair watched him for several seconds. Maryn shook his head as his arms dropped back to his sides, and Kerry gave him a curious look.

"There was something incredibly strange about him, wasn't there? I couldn't tell what he was thinking at all."

"Well, yes, you're right, but this kind of distrust is unlike you, dear," Kerry sighed. "It would be so much easier if we could just—wait! There's something in that bush over there!"

The slight movement of the branches was accompanied by a soft whimper. Kerry stepped towards the bush and parted the branches, only to be greeted by another blurry shadow. However, this Pokémon stopped by herself, and a trembling Mudkip was sitting on the swamped path moments later.

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I'll leave you alone, just please don't hurt me."

"Maryn!" Kerry cried. "Look, we're not going to attack everyone we come across—"

"You won't let me live this down, will you?" the Lucario muttered.

"Oh, we happen to be looking for a Mudkip," Kerry continued as if she hadn't heard her partner. "Would you happen to be the one who got separated from a Nuzleaf earlier?"

Mudkip nodded but gave no other immediate response. Kerry sighed in relief and crouched down in front of the smaller Pokémon, offering out her claw in a sign of trust.

"We're Team Aura Blade, and we're here to help you. We saw Nuzleaf's request posted down at the Wigglytuff Guild this morning, and she's worried sick about you."

"Oh…okay," Mudkip whispered, although her voice still had a slight quiver to it. "I'm sorry. I was just so scared…"

"It's all right. We'll get you back to your friend in no time."

Before any of them could say anything else, a loud shriek pierced the air. Mudkip curled into a ball again as Kerry and Maryn looked around wildly. The cause of the shriek revealed itself shortly; a panicked Vespiquen was flying by them so quickly that her wings almost looked invisible. She was followed by a horde of the forest's inhabitants, all of whom looked equally terrified.

"Out! Get out!" she cried. "There's something happening!"

"What is it?" Kerry asked, a sense of dread growing in her stomach.

"The air's going bad—the rain is frozen back there—just need to get out!"

The Vespiquen's horrified fragments were barely comprehensible, and she took off abruptly. Team Aura Blade gazed at the horizon, squinting in order to make out any details through the dark clouds. However, there was an odd, slightly-grayish tint in the sky that was visible even in the darkness. Even more bizarrely, the rain did indeed seem to have stopped moving further back in the forest. There was also a strange, tense feeling spreading over the area, and the fleeing Pokémon were constantly looking back over their shoulders with fearful looks.

"W-what should we do?" Mudkip asked nervously.

"Just come with us, dear, and hurry! We need to get you out of here anyway!"

Kerry bent down to scoop up the Water-Type, holding her in one arm as she and Maryn joined the constantly-growing crowd. It was difficult to move down the forest's already narrow paths with the swarm of Pokémon around them, but as the tension spread, at least the group's speed picked up. It seemed like an eternity before they reached the edge of the forest, and they kept running for several yards before they finally stopped to rest.

There was a buzz of noise as the group looked back at Treeshroud Forest, which was still visible on the horizon. The entire sky over the forest now had that unnatural gray shade to it, and the rain seemed to be sliding around the forest. It was almost like the frozen weather in the forest was blocking out the rest of the rain.

"What was that just now?"

"I don't know. I'm not going back to check!"

"How else are we going to find out what happened?"

"Hey, don't look at me!"

Kerry let out a long-held breath when Maryn shook her arm. Mudkip looked up at the two after glancing over at all the chattering Pokémon around them. After closing her eyes for a moment, Kerry tried to keep her voice steady.

"What do you think we should do, Maryn?"

"For now, all we _can_ do is take Mudkip back to the guild to meet up with Nuzleaf," the Lucario replied calmly. "And while we're there, we should tell them that _something_ happened here. Wigglytuff is acquainted well enough with Magnezone's police force that he can ask them to send an investigation squad over here for more details."

Kerry nodded. "That's perfect. Let's get going."

"I…I'm lucky you found me when you did," Mudkip said shakily.

"Don't worry about it, dear," Kerry answered, although she was just about as nervous as the smaller Pokémon was. "You're all right now."

Kerry and Maryn managed to weave their way through the crowd of Pokémon with a bit of effort. After they got past the group, they saw a familiar Pokémon darting away. The Grovyle they'd seen earlier was further ahead of them on the path, and he didn't seem to have noticed them yet.

"Oh! Did you find who you were looking for?" Kerry called.

Grovyle stopped abruptly, skidding as he turned around, which caused his bag to crash into his side. It seemed heavier than before, as there was a slight thump as it collided with his body. He recognized them as well, and he shook his head. There was a rushed feeling about him this time that Kerry hadn't sensed earlier.

"She wasn't there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to keep looking…"

He hurried away without giving either of them a chance to respond. Maryn narrowed his eyes again as he glanced over at Kerry.

"Don't you think he's odd _now_?"

"What's odd about him?"

Kerry was trying to deflect the question, but Maryn knew she understood what he meant.

"We saw him right before that incident happened, and now he's acting suspicious."

"Well, until we have more information, I'm not going to be so hasty in judging him," Kerry answered; her calm tone hid the fact that she was starting to wonder if Maryn was right. "Come on, we shouldn't keep Nuzleaf waiting any longer."

With that, Kerry let Mudkip jump back down to the ground, and the trio started walking away from the forest. They traveled in utter silence, as the relief they would have felt was eclipsed by an undercurrent of dread that none of them really wanted to discuss.


	8. Teamwork

**Author's Note:** Skipping ahead a little bit here, as I'm not going to be covering every single in-game mission; the most important stuff will always get mentioned, though, as it does here. Anyway, this chapter introduces a whole bunch of characters who will be important and/or generally fun to write later, so it's definitely not just a plain transition chapter.

...Also! I've started working on some side stories to this. First one will be posted very shortly after this goes up, so it should be available to read soon depending on how long ffn takes to get it active.

* * *

**Chapter Eight: Teamwork**

"…And then everyone died! The end."

"That was a _terrible_ ending, Heliona. It was so _boring_."

"It was scary, by golly!"

Chatter arose in the crowded apprentice bedroom. Almost all of the guild's recruits had crammed into a room meant for only three of them. Chatot would have their hides if he knew how late they were staying up, but none of them could bring themselves to care at the moment.

It had been just a few weeks since Claire and Felix had signed on as recruits, but it was a sign of how close the guild members were that Team Shadow were a part of this little get-together. Bidoof, another new recruit, had invited them into the room he shared with Corphish and Loudred to get to know them better. Then, one thing led to another, and everyone else had piled in.

Currently, Heliona the Vulpix had just finished narrating a fictional tale of an exploration team who had gotten lost at sea, with the story getting more and more ridiculous embellishments until it ended abruptly. Her team had joined the guild just days before Claire and Felix had; maybe that was part of the reason they'd been the first ones to barge into Bidoof's room. Heliona's two teammates had had exact opposite reactions to the ending of her story. Sydney the Absol had rolled his eyes and shot out a sarcastic remark; Leon the Shinx was silent, his eyes wide with terror as he clung to Bidoof.

"Hey, I worked hard on that story, Sydney," Heliona retorted. "Let's see you do better!"

She seemed to be ignoring the fact that Croagunk and Corphish had doubled over in laughter at some of the story's more outlandish points—right before the end, it had featured a giant Mantyke who could somehow use Flamethrower, for instance. However, Sydney merely sighed and shook his head.

"Too bad you can't put that much effort into reading the Wonder Map when we go out on missions," he muttered.

"My sense of direction isn't _that_ bad!"

"Oh, has anyone seen Sunflora?"

Chimecho's sudden question was likely her attempt at preventing an argument. It was at that point the assembly realized that Sunflora hadn't been in the room the whole time. Claire folded her arms as she thought it over.

"Didn't she leave for a mission around the same time we did?" she asked, turning to Felix.

"Yeah, but I didn't see her when we got back," he replied. "I heard it was something really important, though…"

"I'll go check our room."

As Chimecho floated out of the room, the recruits turned to Team Shadow. The storytelling rounds seemed to have been forgotten, as they started babbling excitedly about other things.

"Hey, hey, didn't you guys do something important today too?" Corphish asked. "Speaking of missions and all…"

"Oh, yeah." Claire frowned. "Chatot sent us over to that waterfall… Did anyone else know there was a cave back there?"

"Everyone knows that," Croagunk answered. "That's not what he had you looking for, is it? Meh-heh!"

"Oh," Felix croaked. "It totally was—"

He was cut off by an irate screech. All the recruits instinctively covered their ears as they turned to the door. Naturally, Chatot himself had just appeared in the room, glowering impressively.

"Why are you all still awake? Team Lightning, Team Shadow, get to your rooms this instant!"

"Y-yes, sir," the five rookies chorused, grumbling.

As they shuffled out into the hall, Claire stifled a yawn. In a way, she almost appreciated that Chatot interrupted the gathering; she hadn't realized how tired she was until then. Still, it _had_ been fun…

Heliona was babbling excitedly until they passed by Team Lightning's room. After Sydney and Leon headed inside, the Fire-Type looked over her shoulder at Claire and Felix.

"Hey, let's hang out again tomorrow night!"

"Sure thing!"

Claire matched Heliona's cheerful expression before she and Felix headed into their room. Felix sighed and flopped down onto his bed, laying on his stomach and resting his chin on his folded arms. He looked up at Claire as she sat down, and he smiled tentatively.

"I was worried at first, but everyone here is really nice, you know?"

Claire nodded enthusiastically. "And it's nice that we're not the only rookies, too!"

As she lay down, Claire rolled over and faced Felix. The Chimchar was watching at her hesitantly; she noticed his eyes flicker towards her scars, but he looked away quickly enough. Surprisingly, he seemed to have taken the longest to get used to her injuries, though it had stopped bothering Claire a while ago.

Admittedly, her left eye still bothered her, though. Claire could see out of it to some extent, but it was mostly limited to vague shapes and colors. There was nothing she could do about it, of course, but she had to remember to keep everyone else to her right when possible. And that did get annoying at times.

Oh, well; Claire sighed and ignored Felix's gesture. He got nervous about almost everything, she'd realized. Under the awkwardness, however, he'd gotten attached to her right away; the two conflicting emotions vaguely reminded her of _someone_, though she wasn't sure who. Besides, it really was late, and Claire didn't want to agonize over her memory problems when she needed to get some sleep.

Stifling a yawn, Claire reached over to give Felix the customary pat on the shoulder she always gave him before bed. Felix smiled as he closed his eyes.

"Good night, Claire," he mumbled sleepily.

Claire yawned again, and with that, she closed her eyes as well. Fortunately, it never took her long to fall asleep; mornings always came too quickly at the guild, and she knew the next day would be no exception.

* * *

"_Smiles go for miles_!"

"All right, recruits, get to work!"

"_Yes, sir_!"

As the apprentices dispersed, many of them still looked tired from the previous night's gathering. Chatot sighed as he turned to Teams Lightning and Shadow; as usual, they were waiting for specific orders. He waved absently at them as he turned towards Wigglytuff's room, no doubt to sort through some new information and reports.

"Just stick with what's posted on the bulletin boards today," he told them.

"Race you there, Claire!"

Heliona shouted out the challenge as she ran towards the ladder. Laughing, Claire darted after her as the rest of their teams shared exasperated looks. Sydney, Leon, and Felix joined them on the second floor several seconds later, and Sydney rolled his eyes.

"Don't say anything, Sydney! Oh, hey, let's look at the outlaw listings today."

Without giving either of her teammates a chance to reply, the Vulpix dashed over to the appropriate board. Leon promptly followed her, but Sydney was still muttering under his breath. Claire covered her mouth with a paw to suppress her giggling as she looked over at Felix.

"They're really fun, huh? I guess if they're taking some outlaw missions, we should check out the regular jobs instead."

"Yeah, that sounds good… You know, it's weird how they're the only ones here who call us by name, though," Felix mused.

"True, but—"

"HEY! Meowth! Chimchar! You've got a VISITOR!"

Loudred's voice interrupted Claire's sentence, and the Pokémon himself was visible moments later. He jumped down past the last few rungs of the ladder leading to the top floor, and he quickly approached the two rookies.

"This early in the morning? Won't Chatot get upset with us?" Felix asked worriedly.

"It's for a rescue mission, OBVIOUSLY! I wouldn't come TELL you otherwise," Loudred answered. "Now GET UP THERE!"

Claire and Felix headed for the ladder themselves, with Felix walking slightly behind Claire as usual. After they exited the foyer, they saw a Cubone pacing near the grate. She looked up as they approached, and Claire smiled as she darted over to them.

"Are you our guest?"

"Y-yes," she stammered. "You two are the ones who caught Drowzee, right?"

Claire nodded; she and Felix had gotten used to Pokémon asking them about their first outlaw mission. They'd had no idea he was so infamous at the time, of course, but it had been quite the talk of Treasure Town in the days following Drowzee's capture. Looking relieved at the confirmation, Cubone went on in a rush.

"I think it would be fine to ask for your help, then… One of my friends, a Cacnea, heard about that cave behind the waterfall and wanted to go explore it, but we got separated. Could you two look for her? I wanted to go myself, but I got knocked out and used up our last Reviver Seed trying to get out of there…"

"No problem!" Claire grinned. "Let's go, Felix!"

She grabbed Felix by the wrist and headed towards the stairs leading to the crossroads. Felix sighed, no doubt still upset that everyone else seemed to know about their "new discovery" already.

"Thank you so much!" Cubone called after them.

"We'll be back soon! Don't worry about it!"

* * *

"This still scares me a little…"

Felix fidgeted as he and Claire arrived in front of the pounding waterfall. Taking a step forward, Claire tugged on Felix's shoulder and then grabbed him by the wrist again to pull him along.

"Come on! You did just fine yesterday," she said gently.

"But…"

"Now let's go!"

"W-wait!"

Letting out another laugh, Claire ran forward, pulling Felix along with her. Once they reached the edge of the plateau, she leapt towards the waterfall, with Felix clinging to her paw more and more tightly. After they tumbled through the falls and landed in the cave, Claire shook herself off. Her fur puffed out as the water showered off her, and she took a few seconds to try and flatten it. She figured Felix needed the time to recover—his eyes were still wide when she finally reached out a paw to help him up.

"See? You're all right. Now let's go find Cacnea, okay?"

Felix nodded numbly and trailed after Claire. She carefully looked around Waterfall Cave's winding hallways, avoiding the large puddles of water whenever possible. Claire had picked up exploring quickly enough, learning to be attentive despite how fun she found it. There was something oddly familiar about it, too, but Claire couldn't place why she felt that way.

Still, there were times when she felt like she was being _too_ cautious, and she wondered if that related to something that had happened before she'd washed up on the beach. In several of their earlier explorations, Felix had pointed out that she was shuffling her feet oddly, as if she was trying to avoid leaving a trail. Claire had stopped the habit eventually, but she often thought about why she would've had to hide the way she was going.

She was abruptly snapped out of her thoughts by Felix shouting, "Claire! Look out!"

Since she hadn't been watching where she was going, Claire crashed into a Tangela. They both stumbled backwards, and the Grass-Type scowled at her and extended one of his vines.

"Hey, watch it," he growled, whipping the appendage forward.

Claire hissed when the vine wrapped around her arm. She leaned forward and scratched at it, hoping Tangela would loosen up. Instead, it had the opposite effect; Tangela cried out in surprise and tightened his grip on her.

Felix shuffled forward and spat an Ember at Tangela. His vine immediately retracted as the flames scorched several places on his body. Shrieking, Tangela turned around and fled.

Claire sighed in relief, then grinned and flung her arms around Felix's shoulders. He blinked as she pulled back, but he gave her a tentative smile nonetheless.

"Thanks for that, really! Hey…do you hear a voice up ahead?"

"Um…no?"

Felix looked confused as Claire's ears twitched. The tunnel branched in several directions ahead of them, but Claire's sharp hearing easily picked up where sounds were coming from. After a few turns, she and Felix arrived in a small chamber, and the voice became clearer.

"Hey, we can still patch this up, can't we? _Ouch_! Oh, so you're gonna be like _that_, huh? I could go for that…"

A Poliwag and a Grimer had cornered a Cacnea up against the wall, and the Poliwag had just shot a Water Gun at her. The Grass-Type was covered in bruises, implying that she'd gotten herself into a few more scrapes before this one. She tried to lash out at the Poliwag with Needle Arm, but he dodged it easily.

Claire obligingly shot a Thunderbolt at Poliwag, and he squeaked in surprise as he tumbled over. Then, he scampered away and dove into a stream leading out of the room. Following Poliwag's retreat, Grimer whipped around and glared, and Felix and Claire simultaneously attacked with an Ember and a Water Pulse. Grimer's eyes slid out of focus as he collapsed into a puddle, mouth open slightly, and Felix sighed in relief.

Before Claire could introduce herself to Cacnea, she was suddenly being tackled to the ground. Cacnea was sitting on Claire's stomach, her arms positioned around Claire's head, and she was grinning broadly.

"Ooh, someone's got to be a hero, huh? That's adorable, but I was totally in charge of that situation!"

"Um…" Claire blinked, and she attempted to pull at Cacnea's arm to get her to move. "It's good you think that, I guess, but Cubone asked us to come help you…"

"Ah, that Rin! She doesn't think I can handle myself, does she?"

Cacnea sprung off of Claire, folding her arms and frowning. Felix awkwardly tugged on his scarf and displayed his guild badge, trying to catch Cacnea's attention.

"But, uh, she's waiting for us over at the Wigglytuff Guild, so we really should get going…"

"Well! It would be rude of me to refuse two cuties like you, and Rin _would_ be worried about me… Lead the way!"

Cacnea grinned again as Felix and Claire turned around to show her out, and she walked a little too close to them the whole way.

* * *

"_Iris_!"

Cubone flung her arms around Cacnea when Felix and Claire returned to the guild. She'd moved inside in front of the bulletin boards and was pacing around anxiously when the trio arrived. Cacnea merely patted Cubone on the back and smiled confidently when she stepped back.

"No need to worry! It wouldn't have taken me that much longer to get back without these guys."

Although it was hard to fully read Cubone's expression thanks to her helmet, her eyes clearly showed disbelief. She'd obviously noticed there were still a few light scratches on her friend's body, even if Cacnea herself didn't seem to care.

"Still! Do you have to run off by yourself all the time?" Cubone sighed, and then faced Claire and Felix. "I'm sorry. We don't have much of a way to repay you, but…would you mind if we joined your group? We could help you out on missions and stuff…"

"What? Rin! You can't just decide something like that."

"But, Iris, it would be a lot safer! Besides, Team Shadow has a good reputation; haven't you heard?"

The Grass-Type's mood promptly flipped around, and she was now grinning broadly again. "Why didn't you tell me you guys are Team Shadow? Can we join? Please?"

Claire and Felix exchanged thoughtful looks. They'd remained silent through the conversation, but more teammates _could_ be helpful… Besides, Team Lightning had more than two members. Surely it wouldn't be too hard to add Rin and Iris to their group.

"Well, I've got to warn you…some of the guild members are a bit, uh, 'interesting,' shall we say," Claire commented, grinning lightly as she shook her head. "But I don't see why not! We'll just have to ask Chatot. Come on down!"

She and Felix headed towards the ladder leading to the basement, and Rin and Iris quickly followed them. Sure enough, Chatot was in his usual place in front of Wigglytuff's room, mulling over a few forms he had spread out in front of him. He looked up as Claire approached him.

"Yes? What is it?" he demanded.

"We've got some Pokémon who want to join our team. Is that allowed?"

"Why, of course it's allowed!" Chatot's expression and tone of voice did the same flip they'd done when Claire and Felix had arrived. "Just let me tell the Guildmaster—wait right here!"

Wigglytuff's door was cracked open, and Chatot didn't bother to knock as he hopped inside. His voice was slightly audible, though Wigglytuff seemed to be unresponsive. Chatot then squawked loudly, and, after a sharp crashing noise, he sighed gustily.

Rin looked confused, but Iris didn't seem to mind the bizarre behavior. When Chatot came back out of the room, Rin managed to force the same excited look onto her face that Iris was wearing.

"Come in, come in—Meowth, Chimchar, we need you in here too, so hurry it up!"

They entered the room, and Wigglytuff gave them his usual cheerful smile. He immediately tossed aside the apple he'd been holding and started digging through his box of exploration supplies as he spoke.

"More friendly friends! Oh, this is so exciting! Here you go!"

Wigglytuff handed Rin and Iris each a treasure bag, a scarf, and a badge. They looked over at Claire and Felix for confirmation, and then they pinned the badges onto the scarves. Rin tied hers around her neck before helping Iris put hers on her arm. Claire observed with some fascination as Rin's scarf turned a shade of brown that matched her body nicely, while Iris's scarf became an intense red.

While Wigglytuff had gotten the supplies out, Chatot had taken the team registry from the shelf it always sat on. He flipped through the papers on the clipboard, stopping when he reached the sheet with Team Shadow's information. After he set it down in front of them, he gave all four of them a quick glance.

"Cubone and Cacnea have to sign the list, and I need Meowth and Chimchar to put an approval signature at the bottom. That will be all."

They did as told, and Chatot waved a wing at them as he returned the registry to Wigglytuff.

"Show them to your room, Team Shadow! I expect you all to be ready bright and early tomorrow morning as usual."

Claire and Felix shared a smile as they led Rin and Iris out of Wigglytuff's room. Rin looked a little unsure now, but Iris kept up her excited look. As they walked down the residential hallway, Iris started babbling again.

"So, what kinds of awesome missions do we get to do? Do we get to be heroes or what? Oh, hey, what are the other recruits like? Are they all as cute as you two are?"

"Iris…" Rin groaned, poking the Cacnea with her bone club. "Don't start that now. We'll have to focus!"

"You're so serious all the time! Relax once in a while, will you?"

"It's all right," Claire cut in as they reached their bedroom. "I mean, we _are_ pretty busy, but the other recruits were great about making us feel at home!"

Iris flopped down stomach-first onto one of the beds while Rin sat down carefully. Before Iris could say anything else, Chimecho poked her head into the room, ringing her bell softly. Felix, Rin, and Iris all jumped at the noise.

"Dinner's ready, you guys! Your new teammates can join us, too!"

Chimecho proceeded to leave the room, and Iris jumped out of the bed right away. It didn't take much prompting for her to follow Claire and Felix out of the room, and Rin trailed along after them.

"This will be a good way for you guys to meet the rest of the guild members. Race you there!"

Claire dashed out of the room, with Iris not far behind. Heliona heard the noise from Team Lightning's room and joined in the mad dash for dinner seconds later, with Sydney and Leon merely shaking their heads at her display. As they neared the dining room, Claire looked over her shoulder at Iris. The Cacnea was already engaging Heliona in conversation, and Claire had no doubt that her new teammates would fit right in at the guild.


	9. Alone

**Author's Note:** More Leaf/Grovyle, more Skorupi, more Team Aura Blade, and Limestone Cavern. I'm really glad Sky expanded on this place, so I thought it'd be fun to show Leaf going through it. Ditto's a hard character to get into the head of, but I think I did a whole lot better here than I did in the original draft of this story.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Alone**

The most difficult part of the quest for the Time Gears was all the _waiting_ Leaf had forced himself to do.

He'd spent a couple of days going back and forth between Treasure Town and Treeshroud Forest, returning to the area just in case Claire showed up. The halted time in the area didn't bother him; he was used to it. Still, he felt guilty when he saw how badly it was affecting the forest's residents. They'd all returned to their home, but the fact that it was perpetually dark and silent was clearly taking its toll on them.

To make matters worse, Leaf knew he was letting himself dawdle by hoping Claire would show up. He needed to get on with his mission, since he had a limited amount of time before Temporal Tower collapsed. Eventually, he stopped lurking around Treeshroud Forest, instead opting to stay around Treasure Town in an attempt to gather information.

Word eventually spread of what had happened in the forest, though fortunately no one realized that Leaf had been the one to take the Time Gear. Still, that exploration team he'd met had clearly been suspicious of him—or at least the Lucario had been—and so Leaf was paranoid that Team Aura Blade would put two and two together. He hid in the shadows of trees and bushes when listening in on Treasure Town's residents, just to be on the safe side.

Despite all the eavesdropping, Leaf hadn't yet heard of any other Time Gears going missing. It worried him, as it possibly indicated that Claire had gotten herself into trouble… Maybe she was just playing it as safely as he was, though.

Finally, he decided to go after another Time Gear. As much as Leaf wanted to gather information, he'd been fooling around enough.

He went through the list in his head, trying to figure out which one would be the safest. Most of the others he knew about had guardians, which could cause more of a stir if he went after them. He _would_ have to get them all eventually, but Leaf wanted to be as careful as possible in the early stages. The two "safest" Gears would probably be Limestone Cavern or Dark Crater.

It was after a long internal debate that Leaf settled on Limestone Cavern. From what little information he had on Dark Crater, he knew he'd be at a severe Type disadvantage against most of its residents, so he couldn't afford to go alone for something he wasn't completely sure about. At the very least, Limestone Cavern was just as far away from Treasure Town as Dark Crater was, so news would take a while to spread.

Besides, he had to admit he was applying "What would _Claire_ do?" to his thought processes. Despite the lack of her presence, Leaf drew some comfort from the fact that his partner would have likely agreed to the choice that put him at the fewest disadvantages.

It was a long journey, but the scenery made the trip enjoyable. Leaf still marveled at the fact that everything wasn't the same dark blue-grey it was in the future. Even if it wasn't for the fact that everything was simply more distinct, the variety of landscapes drove him to complete his mission even more.

He was relieved when he finally reached the entrance of Limestone Cavern. Although the trip had been fairly easy, there had been a few other dungeons along the way, and the skirmishes he'd encountered within them had slowed him down. Leaf took one of his few remaining Oran Berries out of his secondhand treasure bag and ate it, feeling his energy return as he prepared to enter the cave.

However, just before he stepped inside, Leaf felt like he was being watched. He tensed as he turned around, and there was a Pikachu standing nearby with a nervous look on his face. Did Pikachu live in the area? They were usually forest-dwellers, and Leaf _had_ passed through a forest earlier, but he didn't recall seeing any Pikachu while he'd been there…

"May I help you with something?"

Pikachu fidgeted as he replied. "It's dangerous in there, you know…"

"Is that all? I assure you I can handle myself."

The Electric-Type was silent for a moment, and Leaf watched him curiously. His warning was very strange; mystery dungeons were well-known for being dangerous, even here in the more peaceful past world. Another thought occurred to him before Pikachu could continue.

"Unless there's something else you mean to warn me about," Leaf went on, frowning. "Has anything unusual happened here lately?"

"Well… There were two exploration teams who fought over a treasure here, but that was a while time ago… It wasn't really recent, actually…" Pikachu's eyes hardened, and the shift in attitude was jarring. "You're not out for the treasure, too, are you?"

Leaf wondered if Pikachu was referring to the Time Gear; if so, the implication was that it was still there. That, in turn, implied that Claire hadn't been there yet, which made him uneasy. He shoved that idea out of his mind, hoping that she'd just chosen a few other ones instead, as he tried to fish up a decent reply. Yes, he was looking for the Time Gear, but he couldn't exactly announce that…

"I'm not searching for anything out of greed, if that's what you mean. I really must get going, though…"

"Wait!"

Leaf proceeded to ignore Pikachu's calls as he ducked into Limestone Cavern's narrow entrance. Yes, Pikachu was probably just concerned, but there was no time to waste arguing with him. He couldn't properly explain himself, so Leaf couldn't afford to sit around coming up with fake excuses.

Fortunately, there were many Water-Types living in the area. They rarely engaged him, but Leaf had the upper hand when he did get attacked. There was one close call he had with a Seviper far into the dungeon, but otherwise he managed to reach the branched area of the cave relatively unharmed.

Leaf knew not to bother with either the right or left tunnels. While Claire hadn't learned much about Limestone Cavern herself, Michelle had gone back to research it a few more times, and she'd told them what she'd learned. All he had to do was step through the fake wall in the back of the chamber…

Nonetheless, Leaf couldn't help shuddering as he took the correct route. Knowing about it beforehand didn't prepare him for the dizziness he felt as he passed through the illusion. It was a relief when he was back on solid ground.

The respite didn't last long, though; the local Pokémon got tougher the further he went. While he didn't fight that many more battles, Leaf had difficulty by virtue of the fact that there were fewer and fewer Water-Types now; all the Kingler and Marill he'd seen earlier were replaced by large groups of Dragonair and Masquerain. To make matters worse, he kept hearing a rather distinct scuttling sound. He couldn't immediately place where he'd heard it before, but Leaf couldn't help looking over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed.

When Leaf reached what appeared to be the final chamber, it was almost empty save for the large treasure chest near the back of the room. This unnerved him a little; he knew Michelle and Claire had mentioned a Ditto, which Leaf presumed was a guardian of some sort. Why wasn't anyone there?

"Ditto," he called. "Come on out. I know you're hiding somewhere…"

Leaf was cut off abruptly by something tackling him from behind. He was thrown face-first into the ground, and he gasped for air; the wind had been knocked out of him. A pair of claws was draped over his shoulders, and Leaf groaned internally as he heard a familiar voice.

"Grovyle, I can't believe you! I thought you were nice, but you want the treasure here! You thief!"

Having recovered from the shock, Leaf felt his quick reflexes returning. He sprung back to his feet, easily knocking his light assailant off his back. When he spun around, he saw the Skorupi who had given him the Wonder Map. Her claws were raised defensively, and she had an expression on her face was something between combination of disappointment and anger.

Skorupi was surprisingly fast. Before Leaf could say anything, the bug lunged towards him with her stinger raised. He managed to dodge in time, causing Skorupi to awkwardly stumble around. Leaf took the chance to tackle her, trying to avoid being too rough as he made sure he'd pinned her tail down.

"Listen, Skorupi! What in the world gave you that idea? What are you even doing here?"

"My brother said he found something in here a long time ago that he thought I'd like to see," she explained. Her eyes were softening, but her voice remained harsh. "I saw a Pikachu on the way in who told me he saw a Grovyle heading in here… He said you were after the treasure and asked me to stop you!"

"That's a bunch of lies!" Leaf replied disdainfully. "Don't tell me you believed him… This is one of the places I thought I might find my partner."

It was an incomplete explanation, but it wasn't untrue… Leaf stepped back, allowing Skorupi to get up, but he remained on guard. An apprehensive look lingered on Skorupi's face as she considered Leaf's words.

"You…you haven't found your friend yet?"

Leaf merely shook his head in response, and Skorupi gave him a cautious look before she continued speaking.

"And you're not here to steal anything?"

He laughed hollowly. "Of course not!"

Skorupi nodded. "All right… How about I stay here with you for a little while, then? I think that thing my brother mentioned is a bit farther, but I don't want to go by myself… It was pretty hard getting here…"

Leaf's stomach twisted; she genuinely seemed to consider him a friend. Under any other circumstance, he might have been flattered. He really did wish he could accept the gesture, but he knew he couldn't. Besides, Leaf _really_ couldn't let her come with him…

"Skorupi…" he said, kneeling down and putting a claw on her head. "Go back, okay?"

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"I don't want you to get hurt."

That was the truth, and it made him feel better to say so. Leaf reached into his bag, searching for an Oran Berry—he winced when he realized he only had two left. Still, he handed one of the berries to Skorupi; she was quite scraped up. Her face tinged as she caught the implication, and she reluctantly ate the Oran Berry.

"F-fine," she muttered. "Don't think I'm embarrassed or anything! I just want to get out of here safely…"

With that, Skorupi spun around and scuttled out of the chamber, refusing to look back at him. Leaf sighed as he watched her leave, and when he was satisfied that she was gone, he turned back towards the treasure chest. It still looked suspicious; it had to be some kind of trap…

Squinting, Leaf thought he could make out a small tunnel in the distance. It was mostly blocked off from view by the chest, likely making its placement deliberate. Clearing his throat, Leaf stepped forward and called out to the empty room again.

"Ditto!" he repeated. "Stop hiding and face me already."

The treasure chest suddenly had an odd lighting about it. Then, it took on a pink tint and started to shrink. Eventually, Ditto was sitting in its place; it was hard to make out his expression, thanks to his minimal features, but he seemed to be glaring.

"Stop hiding… I see it's pointless to try and trick you…"

"You were that Pikachu, weren't you." Leaf spoke flatly, in more of a statement than a question. "Tell me, why did you find that little deception necessary?"

"Uh… To guard the treasure, of course…"

"Don't play with me. I already know what you're guarding, and I'm afraid I need to take it from you."

"Take it… Don't you know what will happen if you do? Uh… I can't let you do that…"

Leaf's eyes narrowed; a Time Gear guardian ought to know the other function the devices served. Ditto clearly wouldn't listen to him, though. Not to mention that by the time he would have proof, it would be too late… He'd been expecting resistance when he'd accepted his quest, but this was especially worrying.

He braced himself as Ditto started transforming again. Leaf was expecting something he'd be weak against, and something strong at that. Once Ditto's new form took shape, he couldn't say he was surprised—the guardian had chosen a Jynx. This would be difficult indeed, and Leaf could only hope Ditto wasn't used to fighting in this form.

"Don't make this difficult, Ditto!" he called. "I don't want to fight you, but I will if I must!"

"Don't want to fight…? Then why are you here?"

He didn't have a chance to reply; Ditto closed his eyes and raised his hands, summoning a Blizzard. Leaf hissed in pain as the attack struck him and sent him skidding backwards. The guardian didn't let up, lifting him into the air and flinging him back down with a Psychic.

The impact produced a rather undignified pained groan, and Leaf squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to catch his breath. He hadn't even got a single attack in so far, and he was already getting this battered… Leaf struggled to his feet, and his eyes widened once he reopened them. Ditto had taken the chance to transform into a Crobat; apparently, he decided that something with an even better advantage would be his safest option.

At least his flight looked a bit unsteady, and Leaf hoped he could use that to his advantage. Still, he didn't quite dodge Ditto's next attack in time, and his wing managed to clip Leaf's side. Grunting, Leaf tumbled backwards again, staggering before coming to a halt.

Growling, he steadied himself and leaped towards Ditto. Leaf landed on his back, and he raked his claws over the purple skin. The guardian cried out in pain, thumping to the ground. The crash rattled Leaf, but he managed got in a couple more strikes before leaping away from Ditto.

"Come on! Think about it! Don't you know what else the Time Gears can do?"

"What else…" Ditto's eyes narrowed. "Are you…trying to trick me? Uh… I have to…protect this place!"

So he'd hoped wrong after all. That statement proved once and for all that Ditto really didn't know the Time Gears' secondary purpose. Leaf sighed and shook his head.

"I'd _love_ to prove it to you, but—"

He was cut off when Ditto fluttered back into the air, and he spit out a Sludge Bomb in Leaf's direction. While he tried to dodge again, the attack still struck him, and Leaf buckled to his knees. His skin was tinged purple beneath the slime, and his eyes widened. Leaf hoped he hadn't absorbed too much of the poison, but—

He started coughing violently a few seconds later, and his body was trembling. No, _no_, now he was at even more of a disadvantage. If he didn't do something soon, Leaf would completely be at Ditto's mercy. He fumbled through his bag, claws shaking, hoping he had a healing berry or seed in there somewhere.

Ditto flew towards him, and Leaf barely had time to roll out of the way. The guardian turned sharply, managing to tackle him this time. Leaf's breath was coming out in ragged wheezes now, and he was shaking hard enough that he doubted he'd be able to muster up a strong enough attack. Still, he closed his eyes, trying to ignore the pain searing through his body.

_'Concentrate,'_ he told himself. _'Think back…what would help now…'_

Finally, Leaf's eyes snapped open, and a light green glow surrounded both him and Ditto. _Absorb_. It wasn't much, but hopefully he'd get at least some of his energy back. It didn't affect Ditto too much, but it gave Leaf just enough power that he could lash out with a Leaf Blade. And that, in turn, did just enough damage to knock Ditto off him.

The guardian crumpled, and Leaf dug into his bag again. There—down at the bottom—he had one single Pecha Berry. Quickly, _quickly_, he stuffed it into his mouth and started to chew. It was slow, but Leaf could feel the stinging pain throughout his body start to subside. There were still a few purple blotches here and there on his skin, but the poison had started receding.

It gave Leaf enough energy to build up a Quick Attack, and he rammed into Ditto. The transformed Crobat didn't have time to respond, and Leaf wouldn't let him have it. While they wouldn't have done much on their own, he managed to get in several successive Leaf Blades. Together, they added up, and Ditto was reduced to weak whimpers before too long.

That was enough. Leaf sighed and stepped away from him.

"I apologize, but you didn't give me a choice! Now, the Time Gear is mine!"

He hurried towards the hallway he'd spotted earlier. It led to a small room with a pond surrounding its pedestal. Leaf carefully approached it, reaching up to take the Time Gear. As he slipped it into his bag, a low rumble shook the cave.

It was a similar sensation to the one Leaf had felt at Treeshroud Forest. He fled the room as soon as he'd secured his bag's flap. If he remained here for too long, he'd get frozen forever… Limestone Cavern would be safe to enter later, but staying behind now while time was stopping would be suicidal at best.

He reached Ditto's chamber, and he hesitated for a moment. The guardian had managed to transform back into himself, but he was still wounded. Leaf did feel bad about having to fight him; he couldn't let Ditto get frozen in that state… Without a second thought, Leaf pulled his last Oran Berry out of his bag, throwing it at Ditto as he tore across the room.

"Eat that, and hurry! I'm sorry, but I had to do it!"

As Leaf fled the dungeon, the situation played out similarly to his escape from Treeshroud Forest. The cavern's inhabitants picked up on the fact that something was happening, and they all swarmed out around him. Panicked chatter arose as they looked behind them, seeing the spreading darkness. By the time they reached the exit, the group was so tightly packed that it was hard to move.

Leaf managed to get away from the area, breathing heavily. After he'd gone a decent distance, he sank to his knees and reached into his bag, running a claw over the Time Gear. It was still there, safe with the other one. He really hoped he wouldn't have to fight the other guardians, but something told him that was a naïve wish.

He yanked his claw out of his bag and made sure it was securely closed when he heard someone calling out to him.

"Hey, Grovyle! What happened in there? Why are you still by yourself?"

Skorupi had trailed after him, though it had evidently taken her a good deal of time to push her way through the crowd of local Pokémon. Curiosity and fear were plastered on her face as she looked at him. While he was glad she'd gotten out of the cavern safely, having to converse with someone was the last thing he wanted right now…

"I, ah…"

"We'd like to know that, as well."

Leaf's eyes widened as he spun around to face two other familiar Pokémon. The Sceptile and Lucario he'd met in Treeshroud Forest were standing a few feet away from him. Sceptile had a concerned look on her face, and she was cradling a trembling Budew in her arms; they'd likely just finished a rescue mission. Lucario, on the other hand, was glaring at him.

_Why_ did they always have to have missions in places where there were Time Gears?

"Oh! Hi, Kerry, Maryn," Skorupi greeted. "I just met Grovyle in there a little while ago. He said he was looking for someone."

Leaf felt a wave of relief wash over him as Skorupi spoke. Her earlier hostility had all but vanished, and she clearly didn't suspect a thing. Sceptile seemed like she was actually considering Skorupi's words, but Lucario didn't look convinced in the slightest.

"Well, it's very nice of him to be here with you. I'm glad you've been doing better since that time that we rescued you," Sceptile replied, but a worried frown creased her face as she turned to Leaf. "You haven't found your friend yet?"

Leaf shook his head rapidly; he didn't trust himself to speak at the moment.

"Are you sure that's all you've been doing? Just looking for someone?"

Lucario's voice had an inherent challenge to it, as if he was daring Leaf to answer with anything else. Leaf knew the Fighting-Type wouldn't accept whatever he said. It was obvious Lucario wasn't as trusting as his partner was, and with good reason; his ability to read aura likely made it obvious how tense Leaf was. Skorupi was now looking between Leaf and Team Aura Blade with an extremely confused look on her face.

"What's going on here?" she asked worriedly.

"N-nothing," Leaf insisted. "I just…I really need to keep looking for, uh…"

"Looking for what, exactly? Don't try to deny how strange it is that you were around both times something strange occurred. We learned that time stopped in Treeshroud Forest. Is that what happened here, too?"

Lucario got more and more accusatory as he spoke, and he stepped towards Leaf threateningly. As Leaf took an unconscious step backwards, Sceptile put a claw on Lucario's shoulder, still delicately balancing Budew in her other arm.

"Maryn, come now, stop jumping to conclusions! By that logic, we're pretty suspicious ourselves. Let's just get back to the guild and let Piplup know that we found Budew."

"Kerry, we can't deny that we've got a possible suspect here!"

"Stop it, guys! Grovyle's not a bad Pokémon!"

As Skorupi cut into the argument, Team Aura Blade turned their attention to her, ignoring Leaf for a moment. Leaf took several nervous steps backwards, and then scrambled away as quickly as possible while he had the chance.

He'd have to be much more careful from there on out.


	10. The Journey Back

**Author's Note:** Shorter chapter this time, but the story's been severely lacking in Dusknoir so far, so we need him to show up. Also, I get to headcanon the approximate time I think he got back to the past, so that's a thing. And, of course, small cameos from Missy and Team Aura Blade are never bad, either.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: The Journey Back**

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon."

Missy frowned as he patted her on the head. He was only ever nice like that right before he left for long periods of time, and she couldn't help resenting the gesture because of it. Still, he was trying—at least he was _trying_, right? So she had to be grateful for that, didn't she?

"I…can't come with you?" she asked, despite already knowing the answer.

He sighed. "No. You are the only one who can lead the rest of the Sableye. You know what to do, right? I know you can take care of things while I'm gone."

"…I know."

Really, she _wasn't_ sure why he was putting her in charge. Missy had already screwed up once before, after all. Sure, she'd gotten that pesky woman out of the way, along with the Persian and Growlithe they needed to activate their abilities…but the daughter had escaped. Plus, the last report they'd gotten from one of the Sableye indicated that Claire was about to go back to the past, along with that new partner of hers. She was probably already there by now, and she probably had a significant head start on them.

But despite that catastrophic blunder, he still trusted her. He still thought she'd be able to track down any of the other remaining members of that research team. And Missy should be happy for that, right?

"With any luck, this won't take too long. And then we'll have all the time in the world."

"…All right. Goodbye, then."

Dusknoir smiled and gave her another pat on the head before turning to leave. It would only take a quick visit to Master Dialga, and then he'd be gone. Missy stared at him for a while, and then she sighed and shook her head.

She had work to do. She may as well get on that.

* * *

Dusknoir groaned as he came to. It was the first time Master Dialga had sent him through a Dimensional Hole, and it was embarrassing how strongly the trip had affected him. At least the dizziness wore off quickly enough, which was more than he could say for his Sableye underlings. Two of them still looked to be unconscious; two others were stirring, but they were whimpering out complaints; the last two had managed to stand up, but were staggering around and clutching their heads.

"Wheh… Lord Dusknoir," one of them moaned. "We don't have to…set off right away, do we?"

He sighed. "No. Stay here. I'll find out where we are, and we'll get started afterwards. Rest a moment."

They murmured out various noises of relief as Dusknoir turned and ducked under the branches of a nearby tree. It'd take them a while to adjust, no doubt, but they were handy enough once they were actually doing things. He wouldn't have to worry about them too much.

It didn't take him very long to clear the small stretch of woods they'd landed in. Dusknoir had arrived out in a meadow, and he took a moment to look around and get his bearings. He'd seen a handful of Pokémon on his way out—residents of the forest, no doubt—and he assumed the area counted as a mystery dungeon. He'd done enough research on the past world to know where most things were in relation to each other, but…he needed to find out where he'd landed. He should be fine from there…

_Ah_. Dusknoir nodded as his eye fell on a pair of Pokémon coming up the trail towards him. They looked like a team of some sort, so they would be good to ask.

"…I told you, Kerry. I _told_ you! Officer Magnezone doesn't want word to get out yet, but—"

"Maryn, will you _please_ let that go? Even if we knew where to find him, we still can't _prove_ anything. Besides, you know we have three jobs to work on right now."

"Excuse me. Is something amiss?"

The two paused, abruptly halting their conversation. One of them, the Sceptile, looked flustered at the interruption. Her Lucario partner merely shook his head, however.

"No, sir. It's nothing. Is there something we can help you with?"

He paused, mulling over how to phrase things. Dusknoir needed to make as good an impression as he could, after all. If his plan was to make the Pokémon of the past think he was some kind of famous explorer, it would hardly do to make himself look like a directionless fool.

"Oh, I'd just like to help some of my companions reach Treasure Town, you see," he replied. "They want to know how much further away we are."

"Oh, that's…" Sceptile paused, double-checking her map. "We're about to enter Oran Forest, so…it's just a few hours' walk to the southeast of here."

Lucario glanced around, a light frown on his face. "They aren't with you? I suppose we could take a detour and look for them if they need help, but…we're in a hurry."

"Oh, no, no! Don't worry about it, my friends," Dusknoir assured them. "They're not far, and I can collect them myself. Thank you for your aid."

"It's no problem." Sceptile smiled and tucked her map back into her treasure bag. "Good day to you, sir."

With that, the two nodded at him and headed into the forest. Oran Forest…Dusknoir had heard of it, and he knew it really wasn't far from Treasure Town. Satisfied, he nodded to himself as well and headed back into the woods. Time to gather up the Sableye and get started.

* * *

"Wheh-heh… You're sure we can't come with you, Lord Dusknoir, sir?"

"No, no…you know the plan. Master Dialga wants me to do this myself. Besides, you all have important jobs to do, yes?"

The Sableye who'd spoken sighed and nodded. Dusknoir had paid a visit to Treasure Town to stock up on supplies, and they'd regrouped on the outskirts of town. It really had been abuzz with activity, and it was almost a shame why they were here.

…_Almost_. Dusknoir shook himself, banishing the quick flight of sentiment. He was on a mission, and he couldn't let himself get attached so easily. He _wouldn't_. They were here to make sure their future came to pass, and Dusknoir couldn't let the vibrancy of a town he'd only just seen get in the way of that.

"Yes," the Sableye agreed reluctantly. "We are to check around for information, and tell you if we hear anything."

"Especially if we hear about Claire or Grovyle, right?" another one added.

Dusknoir nodded. "Precisely. I'll be looking around to see if I can find some rescue missions to do. I'm to focus on building up my reputation here first and foremost, and thus you helping me gather information is of utmost importance."

"We know, sir! We'll do our best!"

With that, the Sableye scattered, and Dusknoir looked back down at the map he'd picked up in town. _'Let's see…'_ There seemed to be a small café nearby. Perhaps Dusknoir could start there, figuring it was as good a place as any to ask around.

If nothing else, he could figure out where the Pokémon of the past had the most difficulty. A few high-ranking jobs couldn't hurt his reputation… Even alone, he could probably handle one or two at a time. Satisfied with his plan so far, Dusknoir tucked away his map and got to work.

* * *

"Hey, Claire! C'mon, hurry up!"

Sableye paused, cocking his head to the side as he snuck along the edge of Treasure Town. Claire—hadn't that been the human girl's name? The one who had the Dimensional Scream?

He glanced around, hoping his eyes didn't catch too much of the light. Eventually, he spotted a pair of Pokémon running towards the vendor stall belonging to a pair of Kecleon. A Chimchar and a Meowth…there wasn't a human in sight. Sableye frowned; of course he wouldn't have such good luck right away.

"We need to hurry and stock up," Chimchar was saying. "There are still a few days before the expedition, but we need to do really good if we want to go!"

"Yes," Meowth agreed. "I really want to go, too! We'll show Chatot for sure."

Well, that was the end of that, it seemed. The pair turned their attention to the Kecleon merchants, and Sableye sighed as he started slinking away. He didn't know why he expected to find a human so close to Treasure Town; maybe he needed to look elsewhere.

Yes, that was it. He just needed to be careful and listen closely, and then he'd be helpful to Lord Dusknoir. They needed to do this as quickly as possible, and Sableye was sure they'd complete their mission.

Now, they just had to be careful, and it would all work out.


	11. The Expedition

**Author's Note:** And the expedition proper. Lots of stuff going on in this chapter, and it's the longest one yet because of that. Still, some fun things happen here, including a shout out from Heliona and Bidoof briefly grabbing the Obligatory Chew Toy ball. So let's get to it!

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: The Expedition**

"All right, everyone…" Chatot sighed as his gaze swept across the room. "Since we're _all_ going on the expedition, we'll have to break into groups."

He proceeded to grumble under his breath, which everyone ignored. They all started chattering excitedly, only stopping when Chatot squawked at them.

"As I was saying!" he snapped. "Pay attention, now! Diglett, Dugtrio, Croagunk, and Corphish are the first group; next, Sunflora, Loudred, and Chimecho; Team Lightning will take Bidoof; Team Shadow and Team Skull will go on their own. Oh, and the Guildmaster will come with me, I suppose…"

"Chatot! I wanted to go with Team Shadow, our newest friends!" Wigglytuff begged.

The bird sighed, pressing a wing to his face. "Guildmaster, Team Shadow already has four members. They can't take anyone else along. Now, everyone knows the destination of the base camp, yes? Set out as soon as you're stocked up, and we'll fill you in further once everyone arrives!"

"_Yes, sir_!"

The recruits scattered, chattering again as they formed their assigned groups. Team Skull sent a smug look in Team Shadow's direction before exiting the room; they were ignored, however, as Team Lightning approached the other rookies moments later.

"Hey, Claire!" Heliona grinned. "Wanna make a bet?"

"Sure!" Claire grinned back. "It'll make the trip more fun. What'll it be?"

"Three hundred Poké on who gets there first. Take it or leave it?"

"Really, Heliona? _Really_?"

Sydney was giving his leader an aggravated expression. Heliona seemed to be ignoring him, as she was still giving Claire a hopeful look.

"We'll take it," Claire replied. "Now, see you there!"

* * *

Claire sighed as she ate the Oran Berry she'd pulled out of her bag. They were fairly far into the dungeon now, and they'd gotten into a few scrapes along the way. Still, they'd gotten through everything in one piece, so Claire nodded to herself upon swallowing. Then, she glanced over at her teammates.

"I haven't seen Team Lightning at all yet. Have you?"

"Nope…or any other of the guild members, for that matter."

Iris turned around and shot a Pin Missile at a Dratini who had crept up behind her after answering Claire's question. Once the Dragon-Type slumped to the dungeon's floor, she grinned and nodded. That seemed to be the last of the local Pokémon nearby, and Team Shadow proceeded through Craggy Coast's exit.

Claire took her Wonder Map out of her bag as Felix, Iris, and Rin sat down for a short rest. Despite everything, they'd made decent progress; they were nearly halfway to the base now. Still, knowing Chatot, they couldn't afford to dawdle, either.

"Where to next, Claire?" Rin asked quietly.

"Well, it looks like we've only got one more mystery dungeon on the path we planned out… I guess we have the time to take a break, but—"

"But what?" Iris rolled her eyes as she flopped onto her stomach. "I mean, we haven't seen anyone yet. I bet we're ahead of them."

Claire considered the idea as she folded her map and stuck it back in her bag. After a moment, she nodded and pulled out a few apples. Then she tossed an apple to each of her teammates, the wide arcs catching Rin and Felix off guard. Iris managed to catch her apple with her mouth, and Claire giggled as the Grass-Type chomped into the snack.

"That's true! We better hurry after we eat, though."

Sitting down next to Felix, Claire took a bite of her own apple, smiling as the Chimchar scooted closer to her.

* * *

"I hate this dungeon," Iris announced.

The rest of the team groaned in agreement. Mt. Horn was only slightly larger than Craggy Coast was; however, they'd gotten lost a few times, due to the fact that they'd run into several long, branching tunnels. They were also getting low on items, despite having stocked up as per Chatot's orders.

Not to mention Iris herself had good reason to gripe; they'd run into many Bug- and Flying-Types, putting her at a large disadvantage. She'd managed to compensate by countering all the Beautifly and Natu with Faint Attack, but it seemed like most of their opponents were targeting her specifically. Rin was faring little better; while the Cubone had kept most of her complaints to herself, the few Pokémon not attacking Iris had focused on her.

Claire quickly checked the Wonder Map again. "I don't think we have too much farther—"

She was cut off by a loud screech. An Aerodactyl had abruptly swooped down from the ceiling; from her panicked expression, it seemed she hadn't noticed Team Shadow, but they were in her way and she didn't have the space to move. Claire hastily blasted Aerodactyl with a Water Pulse, causing her to crumple against the wall.

"Whew…" Claire sighed. "Anyway…"

"I-Is that the exit up there?"

Felix had a terrified expression plastered on his face when the Aerodactyl had approached them, but he was now focused on something ahead of them. While there was a bit of distance left, there seemed to be an opening in the cave's wall up ahead. Claire squinted, and then nodded excitedly.

"Come on!"

She darted ahead of her three teammates, and Rin and Felix struggled to keep up. Iris, on the other hand, actually ran past her soon enough. When the four of them arrived on the path outside, Felix gave an impressed gasp at the sight ahead of them.

"Look! There's the camp!"

A steep path wound down the hill in front of them, leading to a collection of Wigglytuff-shaped tents. They carefully walked down the trail, with Felix gripping onto Claire's arm the whole way. As they descended, some fog started to gather, but fortunately it wasn't too thick.

When they finally reached the bottom, Team Shadow released a collective sigh of relief. Iris darted ahead of them again, announcing their arrival.

"We're here!" the Cacnea sang.

"You're just barely on time!"

Chatot's squawk pierced the air, and he was visible a moment later. He gave Team Shadow a brief glare, but then he sighed and turned around. Before Claire could ask him what the problem was, he faced them again with a more resigned expression.

"Well, _almost_ everyone else is here… At least you arrived before Team Lightning. Take a few minutes to rest up while we wait for them."

As Chatot fluttered away, Team Shadow settled down in front of the nearest tent. Claire stretched as she looked over at her teammates.

"I guess now we know why we didn't run into anyone, huh?"

"And we won the bet with Heliona," Iris added smugly. "We'll probably have to get them to pay up later, given Chatot's current mood… I wonder what's taking them so long, though—"

"Sorry we're late, guys!"

Iris was cut off by none other than Heliona herself. The Vulpix looked out of breath, as did Sydney and Leon. Poor Bidoof was trailing along several feet behind them, looking just as worn out as they did. They all had dirt and leaves matted into their fur, and since they'd arrived from a different direction than Team Shadow had, Claire assumed they hadn't gone through Mt. Horn… However, that begged the question of what route they'd taken instead.

"Finally! Now that we've all arrived, come over here, everyone!"

Chatot made a sweeping motion with his wing after shooting another impressive glare towards the newest arrivals. He and Wigglytuff were standing in front of a trail leading through a sudden cluster of trees, and the guild's recruits eagerly gathered up near them. Team Skull's members, on the other hand, were standing back slightly with disdainful looks on their faces. Once everyone had assembled, Chatot cleared his throat and went on.

"As I'm sure you've all noticed…a fog has started to gather. The reports I've gathered on the area indicate that the forest ahead of us is perpetually covered in a much thicker fog."

"Hey, hey! How are we supposed to do any exploring, then?" Corphish interjected.

"I was just getting to that," Chatot replied. "I've also heard rumors that there's a way to temporarily clear the fog. Therefore, if any of you find out how to do that before you find the path to the lake, please report back to the Guildmaster and myself."

"Oh my gosh! This is so exciting!" Sunflora exclaimed. "There's so much for us to look for!"

"Indeed there is." Chatot nodded. "Now get going, everyone!"

"_Yes, sir_!"

The recruits promptly headed down the forest trail, babbling excitedly. Felix and Leon exchanged apprehensive looks, but the Shinx had to quickly scamper away to keep up with the rest of his team. Biting his lip, Felix looked back over at Claire.

"How do you think we'll find our way through that?" he murmured.

"You could go ahead of us!" Iris suggested. "If you keep your tail lit, we'll be able to see just fine."

"What?" Felix's eyes widened. "You want _me_ to lead us?"

"I'll stay right next to you," Claire said reassuringly. "Let's go!"

Felix latched onto Claire's arm as his tail flame flared up. As they started walking down the trail, Felix paused again, his eyes drifting down to the side of the path. Claire stopped when she noticed him looking down, causing Rin and Iris to nearly bump into her.

While he didn't say anything right away, it was easy to see what had caught his attention. There was a small patch of reddish light contrasting sharply with the thick grass, and Felix looked up at Claire when he realized she'd seen it too.

"C-can I go see what that is?"

Rin squinted at the area. "What _what_ is?"

Claire nodded, and Felix darted over towards the light. He bent down, carefully pushing apart the grass, and pulled out a large red gemstone. It was oddly cut, almost like a heart shape but with one of the sides larger than the other, and small spikes covered the bottom.

"It's…really warm," Felix stated after a moment.

"That's all you're going to say about it?"

Iris had scampered up behind Felix, and he jumped when he realized how close she was standing to him. Leaning around his arm for a better look, Iris attempted to grab the stone from him. Felix shoved it into his treasure bag, however, and scrambled back over towards Claire.

"W-we can ask one of the other guild members about it later," he mumbled.

"Yeah, I bet we could ask Chatot about it later if we go back to the base camp." Claire grinned as they started walking again. "He's the head of intelligence and all… Maybe he's seen something like it before."

Rin nodded, but Iris merely grumbled under her breath at the idea of having to talk to Chatot any more than they had to. While she and Rin had adjusted to guild life pretty quickly, Iris and Chatot had never gotten along well.

The quartet lapsed into silence as they wound through the forest. As Chatot had warned, the fog did get thicker and thicker the further they went; it was hard enough to see where they were going without conversations distracting them. Felix's tail flame did serve as a decent guiding light for their immediate surroundings, but its range was limited.

The lack of activity was honestly unnerving, Claire thought. Most mystery dungeons had more Pokémon in them than this, and she kept expecting something to leap out at her. Eventually, even Iris started jumping at the occasional rustling they heard nearby.

At one point, fairly far in the forest, a Pachirisu stumbled onto the path in front of them, looking confused. He instinctively lit up with a Spark attack, but he backed away sheepishly when Felix yelped in surprise.

"Oh… Sorry," Pachirisu grumbled. "Can't ever see a thing out here…"

He darted away, and Claire released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in. It took a few seconds before they began walking again, watching the trail with ever more care.

The trees finally started to spread out, indicating that they were getting close to the end of the woods. It was hard for Claire to feel relieved, however; as they neared the end, there was an odd nagging feeling in the back of her mind. It had been very vague when they had entered, but now it was getting much stronger… The place was starting to feel familiar to her, though of course she had no idea why.

When they finally stepped out into the clearing, the four of them gasped collectively. Though it was still foggy, they could make out small waterfalls coming down from, as far as they could tell, the sky right above them.

"I wonder what this would look like if we could actually see it better," Iris wondered.

"Hey, hey!"

A reddish shape became visible through the fog as a familiar voice rang out. Seconds later, Corphish was standing in front of them, out of breath.

"Oh, hi," Claire greeted. "When did you get here, Corphish?"

"Just a little while ago," he answered. "There's something kind of interesting up ahead. Want to see?"

Team Shadow collectively nodded, and the four of them trailed after Corphish. After a few minutes, they'd arrived at a statue depicting a large, armored Pokémon with huge claws. Its pedestal had tilted over slightly, but the statue didn't seem to be damaged.

Claire cocked her head to the side, resting her chin in her paw. The feeling of familiarity was getting even stronger now… As she got closer to the statue, she realized Corphish had started talking again.

"Hey… I've never seen any Pokémon like that before! It looks really important, though, doesn't it?"

Rin nodded. "I know what you mean… Do you think that kind of Pokémon lives around here?"

"Come on, Rin!" Iris cut in. "That statue is pretty big… If there was a Pokémon like that around here, don't you think we would have noticed it?"

"It was just an idea," the Cubone muttered. "Besides, maybe it's not actually that size…"

As Rin finished, more voices were audible behind them. The group looked around carefully, spotting more figures in the distance. They were soon joined by Team Lightning, who somehow looked even worse for the wear than they had before. Sydney was scratching more leaves and twigs out of his white fur, and Leon was wheezing as Heliona tossed him an Oran Berry. The Vulpix was covered in scratches herself, but she didn't seem to care.

"Oh, hey, guys!" Heliona said cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Hey, hey! What's up with _you guys_, Vulpix?" Corphish demanded.

"We got lost back there, what did you think?" Sydney retorted. "_Someone_ here managed to attract the attention of half the forest's residents… How we got out of that last fight is beyond me."

"I guess that explains why _we_ hardly ran into anyone…" Iris pondered. "They were all over you! Not that I blame them; I'd be all over you in a heartbeat, if you know what I mean—"

Rin swiftly cut Iris off with a jab of her bone, and the Cacnea glared at her. However, Team Lightning ignored her, having noticed the nearby statue. Leon's eyes widened curiously as he took a few steps closer to it.

"What kind of Pokémon is this?" the Shinx asked, turning to Corphish.

"That's what we were trying to figure out!"

Meanwhile, Iris was trying to converse with the other two members of Team Lightning. Rin was watching Iris carefully, while Claire and Felix tried to listen to both sets of conversations.

"So, Heliona! About that bet we made earlier…"

Heliona groaned as she dug through her treasure bag for some coins. "Yes, yes, here you go."

"At least we picked up a decent amount of money while we were wandering around…" Sydney grumbled.

"What happened, anyway?"

"Oh, I…I just got confused by the geography! And the topography… And the, uh, choreography…"

Sydney sighed. "Do you even know what 'choreography' means?"

"Nope!" she replied cheerfully.

Rolling his eyes, Sydney turned back to Iris and said, "There's an unofficial rule of the guild: never take directions from a Vulpix."

"Guys! We just noticed something awesome!" Leon called.

"What is it?" Claire asked eagerly.

"Hey, hey! I saw some kind of inscription on the statue's base earlier," Corphish explained.

"Well, what did it say?" Sydney prompted.

"Something about the 'heart of Groudon,' whatever that means," Leon continued.

Rin looked back over at the statue, and her eyes lit up. "There's a hole up there in the statue's chest."

Iris caught the implication and grinned. "The 'heart of Groudon' must be whatever goes in there… So what could it be?"

As the rest of the Pokémon started tossing out ideas, Claire idly walked up to the Groudon statue. She felt more and more like she'd seen it before… Frowning, she curiously put her paws down on the base as she leaned down for a closer inspection.

A wave of dizziness suddenly washed over her, and Claire mewed in surprise. She was starting to get used to it, as she'd gotten visions a few times now, but they always gave her such a headache… Still, she focused in time to pay attention to what she was hearing.

* * *

_"There's an item called a Drought Stone that we have to find, and it goes inside the statue. That lifts the fog and will let us explore there."_

_"And that will let us see where we need to go?"_

_"It should!"_

* * *

As her vision refocused, Claire folded her arms and felt her whiskers twitch. Apart from the fact that she hadn't actually _seen_ anything that time, the voices sounded really familiar… To make things even weirder, the feminine-sounding voice had been fainter and had echoed oddly.

She didn't have time to think too much, however; everyone was still trying to figure out what the inscription on the statue had meant. Claire realized Felix had been staring at her; he probably realized that she'd gotten a vision. She promptly remembered the stone he'd picked up earlier, and before she could remember that _he_ didn't know what it was called, she repeated what she'd just heard.

"Try putting the Drought Stone in there!"

She gestured towards the small hole in the statue's chest area. For a moment, Felix simply gave her a confused look. He put two and two together soon enough, though, and he started digging through his treasure bag. At this point, everyone else noticed what was going on, and they were wearing equally curious looks on their faces.

"Is that the stone I found earlier?"

Felix muttered the question as he pulled out the gemstone and walked towards the statue. Gulping, he inserted it into the gap, and it fit in perfectly.

There was a loud rumbling sound, and everyone instinctively ducked and covered their heads. At first, nothing seemed to have happened beyond the shaking. Upon looking back up, however, they realized there was something very different about the area…

"What just happened?" Leon's eyes were practically bugging out of his head. "The fog's gone!"

It was stating the obvious, but everyone was too stunned to care. Normal sunlight looked blinding compared to the fog they had gotten used to seeing. Furthermore, there was something important that was obvious now that they could see better: the source of the waterfalls.

A towering landmass with a broad top was now visible, and a small cave entrance was visible in the base of it. The waterfalls were flowing down from the top; it was clear that the lake Chatot had told them about in earlier briefings was up there.

"Hey, hey! Team Lightning, let's go back to the camp and tell everyone!" Corphish exclaimed. "Team Shadow, you go on ahead!"

"What? Why do we have to go back?" Heliona demanded.

"Well, it was Meowth's idea to put that stone in there! They should get to go first. Now, come on!"

Corphish scuttled away, and Team Lightning reluctantly followed after him. After a few seconds, the impact of the situation finally sank in. Iris grabbed Rin, danced around in a circle (much to Rin's protesting), and then flung her arms into the air.

"Psychic team leader for the win! That's how you figured it out, right?"

"Yeah… Well, I'm not sure if you could call it 'psychic,' but…" Claire trailed off, but she was grinning. "Anyway, let's go!"

Felix, Rin, and Iris nodded as they followed Claire. The temperature rose considerably as they approached the landmark; while Felix didn't look too bothered by the heat, everyone else sure noticed. Iris frowned, but no one said anything aloud.

The cave's mouth was surprisingly narrow, and they had to form a single-file line. They'd entered into a tunnel, rather than a cavernous room, and the ground sloped upwards ahead them. Claire examined her Wonder Map, and then turned around to address the team.

"Well, for a little while, it looks like it just winds around a bit… It'll be easy, so let's hurry to the top!"

As the tunnel twisted around, it became slightly wider, allowing them to go two-by-two instead of single file. Felix took his usual place by Claire, clinging to her shoulder as he looked around. Claire's ears twitched as they continued, picking up surprisingly few signs of the area's residents. There was an odd feeling in the air, though, as if something could jump out at any moment; it was no wonder that Felix was as nervous as always.

The sense that Claire had been there before was getting stronger as well, though she tried to shove that out of her mind. She had to concentrate right now.

Small caverns eventually began branching off to their sides, and Rin had taken to pulling out Claire's Wonder Map to check directions for her. Iris, on the other hand, kept shifting impatiently, no doubt bothered by the lack of action. Once they approached a larger room, however, that quickly changed. A Magby and a Numel were sitting in the corner, and Claire quickly spat a Water Pulse at the Numel. The attack knocked him out almost instantly, but the other Fire-Type quickly charged at them.

Iris swept forward with a Faint Attack, and Rin finished him off with a Bone Club. Once he collapsed, Iris gave Rin a celebratory high five. The gesture caused her to shake her head, but she seemed to have an amused look on her face nonetheless.

The further they got in the dungeon, the more Pokémon reacted to their presence. Near the top, a large Magmar crossed their path. Startled, he instinctively breathed out a Flamethrower at them, and they collectively ducked. Claire then shot a Thunderbolt at the Fire-Type, followed by Rin finishing him off with a well-timed Bonemerang. They sighed in relief as they walked around Magmar's prone form.

Claire hoped that was the end of it. They'd gone quite a distance, so they had to be getting close to the end… Her idea was confirmed when Rin checked the map again, only for Iris to snatch it away.

"The exit is right around the next corner," Iris announced.

Claire grinned as she tucked the map away, and she picked up her pace. Felix stumbled as he attempted to keep up with her, with Iris racing along beside her and Rin keeping a safe distance behind them. When they dove through the exit, the outside air was a relief compared to the dungeon's humidity; however, there was something a little strange about the area…

"Um…where's the lake?" Felix asked uncertainly.

The plateau they arrived on was completely empty. Several large rock formations rose up in front of them; although there was a small gap in the distance, likely leading to another area, the land in front of them was bone-dry and craggy. It was bizarre to think that there could be a lake anywhere nearby.

"Chatot drug us out here to find this 'Fogbound Lake' place, and what do we get instead?" Iris said dramatically.

"Calm down, Iris. It's probably just up there…" Rin sighed, gesturing towards the path ahead of them.

Claire nodded and started walking again. There was a sudden rumbling, however, and she stopped mid-step; it died down quickly enough, but it had been noticeable. Looking over her shoulder at her teammates, she saw they all had confused looks on their faces. Then, there was another, somewhat stronger quake, this one taking longer to fade away.

"Um… Rin?" Iris raised an eyebrow.

"Don't look at me. I'm not that good at using Earthquake yet."

"Well, who else could it be?"

A loud roar tore through the area, and its source became obvious soon enough. A giant, red, armored creature had just lumbered through the mountain-like formations ahead of them, and the sunlight glinted off his huge claws. He towered over the four members of Team Shadow, and his yellow eyes narrowed as he looked down at them.

It occurred dimly to Claire that he looked exactly like the statue they'd seen, but it hardly seemed like an appropriate time to mention that.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, his voice booming.

"Isn't it obvious? We want to visit Fogbound Lake!" Iris answered with a grin.

"Iris!"

Rin had attempted to slap a hand over Iris's mouth, but it was too late. The Pokémon roared again and slashed his claw forward, and Iris ducked out of the way just in time. A crack was left in the ground when he pulled his claw back up.

"I am Groudon, and I guard the lake. There is something here that needs protection… Prepare to battle!"

He stomped forward, each footstep causing small quakes that threw everyone off balance. Claire rolled out of the way of another attempted Slash, countering with a Water Pulse. Given Groudon's size, the attack didn't do much damage, since it hit such a small portion of him. There was still a type advantage, though, causing Groudon to visibly wince.

Meanwhile, Iris had managed to sneak up behind Groudon. She was now firing off repeated Needle Arms, dancing out of the way every time he tried to strike her. The attacks seemed to be doing little more than annoying him at first, but the damage started to add up. One of Groudon's Slash attacks nearly hit Iris, however; while she avoided the sharp edges of his claws, the side of his hand hit her, knocking her to the side.

"A little help here?" she demanded, panting.

"We're _trying_!" Felix responded.

He and Rin had been attempting to distract Groudon the whole time with a series of Ember and Bonemerang attacks. It hadn't been working particularly well, but the shouting had caught Groudon's attention.

Focusing on Rin, Groudon took a deep breath as a Solarbeam formed between his claws. As Rin had just tried to hit him with another Bonemerang, she didn't have time to dodge. The beam hit her dead-on, and she tumbled backwards, collapsing in a heap.

At this, the three other members of the team had wildly different reactions. Felix stopped an Ember mid-attack and shuffled backwards in fear, while Claire hastily dug through her treasure bag for a Reviver Seed and tossed it to Rin. Iris immediately forgot complaints and charged directly towards Groudon, both fists raised in preparation for two simultaneous Needle Arms.

"That does it—no more playing around!"

The first strike collided with Groudon's chin as Iris leapt upwards. As Groudon jerked backwards in surprise, Iris followed with the second hit, striking him right between the eyes. She then sprung off Groudon's forehead as he startled to wobble, rolling as she hit the ground, and got out of the way right before Groudon toppled over with an almighty thud.

After the shaking died down and Rin groggily managed to sit up, there was complete silence. Then, there was something odd about Groudon; he almost looked translucent. A bright yellow light started emanating from his body, and the glowing was so bright that Claire had to shield her eyes. There was a slightly dramatic (but also kind of comical) poof of smoke, and Groudon had suddenly disappeared.

Claire blinked. "…What just happened?"

"You got me," Iris replied, totally deadpan; her earlier anger had apparently been forgotten.

"_Come this way…"_

A small voice was audible nearby, and then another yellow light appeared. When it faded, another Pokémon had materialized in Groudon's place, beckoning towards them. His two tails twirled as he spun around and floated away, not stopping to see if Team Shadow were following him or not.

Claire looked at Felix, Rin, and Iris in succession, and then shrugged. She walked after the new Pokémon, looking over her shoulder as her teammates came with her. After passing through the gap in the rocks, Claire stopped and felt her eyes widen.

They'd stepped into a grassy field, the plant life creating an abrupt and very strange contrast to the rocky area they'd just been standing in. A sprawling lake lay ahead of them, with small streams branching out from it in various directions. Dozens of Volbeat and Illumise fluttered above them in the darkening sky—when had it gotten so late?—and their tail lights flickered in various colors.

"I'm Uxie, the real guardian, and this is the lake you were looking for. What business do you have here?"

It was difficult to read Uxie's expression, as his eyes were barely open beyond a squint, but there was an odd tension in the air. Uxie seemed to be testing them, as if waiting for them to make an answer he wouldn't like. Whether it was because the rest of her team was hiding behind her (even Iris, Claire noted with a bit of amusement), or because of any powers he had otherwise, Uxie had realized that Claire was the group's leader, and he was focusing completely on her.

"We heard there was some kind of treasure here," Claire started carefully. When Uxie tensed, she quickly added, "We're with an exploration guild. We're not here to steal anything; we just wanted to see what was here."

"Hmm…" Uxie mused, floating more closely to Claire for a more careful inspection. "Well, I have to admit that you did well against my Groudon illusion, which is why I even brought you back here. It would take much more than that to defeat the real Groudon, of course, but I'm impressed."

"Wait a sec," Iris said, peeking out from behind Claire. "That thing wasn't real? I guess that explains why it just vanished, but it _felt_ real when I hit it all those times."

Uxie's mouth twitched in amusement. "Well, yes… I wouldn't be a very good illusionist if I couldn't make you think it was solid, now, would I?"

Iris merely shrugged, waiting for Uxie to go on. He turned around, going closer to the lake's shore, and he beckoned to them again.

"Come closer. You answered me honestly, so I'll let you see what's in there."

Claire and Iris couldn't resist slapping a high five as they gathered around Uxie. While Felix didn't look too thrilled about having to get that close to the water, he joined them nonetheless. Uxie then pointed out to a spot in the lake where a greenish light was reflecting off the surface.

"See that green light out there? The water here is fairly shallow, so if you look carefully, you should be able to see what's underneath."

The four of them leaned forward and squinted. A small, blue-green gear was barely visible under the water, and the light was obviously emanating from it. Felix, Rin, and Iris all looked excited, but Claire frowned. Her head had started pounding, and her heartbeat had sped up. There was something in the back of her mind telling her that she _knew_ what that thing was, and that she'd seen it before…

She shook her head, trying to pay attention, when she realized Uxie had continued his explanation.

"That's a Time Gear," he was saying. "I'm sure you've heard of them before."

Felix gasped. "A _Time Gear_? You'd let us get this close to one?"

"Well, naturally, I'd stop you if you tried to take it. Or, rather, I could make you forget about it…"

"Make us forget?" Rin repeated, tilting her head to the side curiously. "How does that work?"

"Hmm? There are plenty of overblown rumors in the area; I'm surprised you didn't hear any of them." Uxie's voice had taken on another hint of amusement. "Many of the Pokémon here think I can wipe away every memory they've had…"

Then, Rin noticed Claire's expression. Her ears had perked up when Uxie had said the word "forget," and she'd been listening eagerly. However, she'd drooped upon catching the implication that Uxie's powers were limited.

"You should ask him about it," Rin prompted.

"Ask me about what?" Uxie replied, puzzling over the vague phrasing.

"Oh," Claire said hesitantly. "It's just, I've got some problems with my memory, but ever since we arrived, I've felt like I've been here before… Do you know if I have?"

"You don't seem familiar to me, but even so… I can only manipulate memories about the lake and the Time Gear," Uxie responded. "I can't give anyone full amnesia. I'm sorry I can't give you any more answers."

"No, that's fine." Claire smiled. "At least now I know something I _didn't_ do…"

"That's certainly one way to think about it."

Claire turned back to look at the lake as Uxie continued speaking. Her attention was drawn once again to the Time Gear in the lake's center. If she really hadn't been there before, why did it feel like she recognized it so much?

_'Take it… Take it now!'_

Claire mewed in surprise; a voice, one very similar to one she'd heard at the statue, had just echoed in her mind. No, she couldn't do that, could she? That would make time stop. Yet the idea seemed natural to her, and she started trembling.

Felix noticed, and he tilted his head to the side and gave her a bewildered look. Before he could say anything, Wigglytuff's voice suddenly floated over to them, calling out "Hello, friendly friends! I've been looking all over for you!", and he was visible a few seconds later. Claire shook herself and forced a grin as the rest of Team Shadow tried to explain Wigglytuff's presence to a very baffled-looking Uxie.

And, for the rest of the conversation—which became admittedly humorous when the rest of the guild tumbled onto the scene—Claire tried very, very hard not to look back over at the Time Gear.


	12. Success and Setbacks

**Author's Note:** Time Gear gathering! I always thought it would be interesting to see this stuff from Grovyle's point of view. Though I realized upon a recent reply of Sky that I made a minor mistake with Leaf knowing about the expedition. Still, I figured the info-gathering segments were a good way to excuse the amount of time it takes Grovyle to gather the gears, so I left it in anyway.

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Success and Setbacks**

Leaf once again found himself in Treasure Town, scavenging about for information before making up his mind. It had been at least a week since he'd taken the Time Gear from Limestone Cavern, and although word had spread quickly enough, his involvement hadn't been discovered yet.

He was lucky this time; Leaf shuddered as his mind drifted back to Team Aura Blade. Really, he was surprised they hadn't mentioned their suspicions to anyone, even if they lacked solid proof. And if they did…he'd have a much harder time.

Eventually, Leaf pushed them out of his thoughts. He had other things to think about, and right now he needed all the information he could get. While the residents of the past world didn't speak much of the Time Gears—except for the fact that two of them had gone missing, of course—he managed to pick up clues every so often.

Currently, Leaf was debating which of the guarded Time Gears to go after, since he was still reluctant to go to Dark Crater. He'd sat down near a thick cluster of bushes behind some of the town square's vendor stalls, camouflaging himself well. While going over his Wonder Map for what seemed like the twelfth time in the past half hour, a specific conversation happened to catch his attention.

"Oh, hello, my dears! Is it true that the guild is going out on an expedition soon?"

"Yeah! We're going to check out Fogbound Lake in a few days!"

Leaf froze. Why in the world were they going to Fogbound Lake? Surely they didn't know there was a Time Gear there… He peered around the bushes, trying to listen more closely.

A Meowth and a Chimchar were currently speaking with Kangaskhan, the owner of the storage booth. Leaf had seen the pair several times while gathering information, but he always did a double-take when he saw the oddly-proportioned cat—or rather, the huge scars she was sporting. Did the guild not care about their recruits' safety, or had she gotten them some other way? Not to Michelle's partner, Blitz, _had_ been a Persian… Leaf wondered if she was some distant ancestor of his.

Shaking his head, Leaf tried to concentrate.

"Oh, I hear there's a lot of interesting stuff over there," Kangaskhan was saying. "I'll bet the Kecleon brothers will love to see what you bring back!"

"I'm sure," Meowth replied, grinning as she handed Kangaskhan a few items. "Anyway, this is all we need to give you today… Do we need to get anything out, Felix?"

Chimchar shook his head, and Meowth closed up her Treasure Bag. Waving to Kangaskhan, the pair started to walk away, and Leaf shrank down to make sure they didn't see him.

"All right, see you later, Kangaskhan!" Meowth called cheerfully.

"Goodbye, dears!"

Leaf felt his stomach turn as he watched the pair leave. Fogbound Lake… It was unlikely the guild knew what was really there, as he and Claire had needed to use her Dimensional Scream ability in order to find its Time Gear. However, there was always the chance they could find the gear after they got to the lake…

He tried to convince himself that made little sense, since they'd have to find their way to lake-bed area first. It wasn't like the Pokémon of the past would take the Time Gears from their locations anyway, even if they did happen upon their locations.

The consolations felt a bit hollow, though. Fogbound Lake would have to be Leaf's next destination, but of course he'd need to wait until the expedition was over… He knew he'd have enough trouble with the area without having to deal with all the guild members.

Sighing, Leaf crept through the edge of town, hoping to pick up as much information on the guild's expedition as possible.

* * *

The waiting this time made Leaf even more anxious than usual. He watched Treasure Town closely, looking for signs of the guild's recruits; he wanted to leave as soon as they got back.

Fortunately, it only took a few days, and Leaf sighed when he noticed some of the guild's members in the usual crowd. He caught sight of Meowth and Chimchar first, as Meowth's scars made her stand out. While he was itching to get over to Fogbound Lake, Leaf decided to do just a little more listening in; he had to find out if they'd seen the Time Gear or not

The two stopped at the Kecleon brothers' stall, and the two lizards chattered excitedly as Meowth began looking at their wares.

"Oh, Meowth! Don't you have anything you want to sell us?" the green one said.

"Yes, yes, the guild always brings back so much treasure from their expeditions!" the purple one added. "We'd love to hear all about what you found…"

"Um… Actually, we didn't really find much of anything. Sorry," Meowth replied sheepishly as she examined a few of the brothers' berries. "At least nothing too big. We picked up a few TMs you might like, but other than that…"

Leaf frowned. He'd heard plenty about the guild's reputation; surely they wouldn't be happy about letting the recruits admit to such a thing. Not to mention, while that meant it was possible they hadn't seen the Time Gear, it was also possible that they'd found it and were just covering…

"What? That's disappointing…" The green Kecleon sighed. "Are you sure about that?"

Chimchar nodded. "Yeah… We wish we could have brought you more stuff, but…"

"Ah, well, there's always the next expedition," the purple brother replied, trying to perk back up. "Well, what can we get for you today?"

That seemed to be the end of the relevant information, as Meowth picked up a few Oran Berries and then asked about Reviver Seeds. Sighing, Leaf sneaked away from the stall; at the very least, the Time Gear had to still be at Fogbound Lake. He would have liked to know for sure, since taking a Time Gear that such an important group had seen made him nervous. There was always the chance it would motivate them to come after him should word get out, but he didn't have much of a choice.

It was with that not-very-comforting thought that Leaf headed towards the crossroads at the edge of Treasure Town, willing himself to get to Fogbound Lake as quickly as possible.

* * *

Leaf sighed when he finally pushed his way though some of the thick underbrush at the edge of Foggy Forest. It had taken him much longer than necessary to get to his destination, partly because he'd combed the area for the Drought Stone that Claire had mentioned once he arrived. He hadn't seen anything that could have possibly fit that description in the entire forest, and he hoped that meant he was getting closer to it instead of farther away.

As he stepped into the clearing, Leaf looked around again. It would be so much easier if Claire was there to describe her Dimensional Scream to him again… Given how close he was to the lake, Leaf hoped that meant that the Drought Stone would be nearby.

The Groudon statue was right ahead of him, and Leaf found himself drawn to it, remembering the last time he'd seen it. As he approached the monument, a quick flash of red caught his eye. Leaf knelt down, pushing through the grass at the statue's base. A red gemstone was lying there, and Leaf found himself grinning absently; that had to be it… Scanning the statue again, he found the hole in its chest, and he inserted the stone there.

As the fog cleared, Leaf couldn't help looking around in awe. Despite how long he'd been in the past, the beautiful scenery had a profound effect on him. It helped that he'd seen the area around Fogbound Lake in its paralyzed state, and the difference was striking.

Several moments later, Leaf shook himself, taking another look around now that he could see clearly. As Claire had suggested, he could now easily make out the cave entrance in the base of the landmass in the distance, and he hurried towards it. Given how narrow the entrance was, it likely would have taken him much longer to find it in the fog.

Still, the fact that the stone had been lying that close to the statue seemed too convenient… Hopefully it didn't mean that the guild's members had figured out what to do with it on their expedition. On the one hand, it was possible that Uxie would be more willing to speak with him if he had let other Pokémon get that close to him. On the other, another visitor so soon might make him wary.

Leaf forced that thought out of his mind as he wound through Steam Cave. He really needed to concentrate, as the dungeon was filled with Fire- and Bug-Types. As he tried to dodge the numerous Yanma and Magby, Leaf remembered precisely why he hadn't wanted to go to Dark Crater… At the very least, the Pokémon in Steam Cave didn't seem _quite_ as aggressive as he'd heard the ones at Dark Crater were.

Leaf finally reached the end of the dungeon, silently cursing the fact that he'd used up a good deal of his Oran Berries thanks to his type disadvantages. Scanning the area, Leaf frowned; he'd hoped the lake would be more noticeable here in the past, but he still couldn't see it 0 yet. He supposed that would be too easy, but…

Before he could think further, a heavy rumbling shook the area. Bracing himself, Leaf felt his eyes widen; a large form was visible between the hills in the distance, and moments later he was staring up at Groudon. The quakes intensified with each of the massive Pokémon's steps as Groudon roared.

Claire hadn't mentioned anything about a Groudon, had she? Besides, something felt odd; Leaf didn't have much time to think, but he scowled to himself nonetheless. It seemed strange that Groudon of all Pokémon would be serving as Uxie's backup when the lake wasn't even visible yet, even if there had been a statue of him near Foggy Forest's exit…

"What is your business here?" Groudon demanded.

"Where's Uxie?" Leaf replied, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. "I know he's the real guardian here—"

Leaf was cut off by Groudon spitting a Flamethrower at him. While he managed to dodge the flames, the hot air shimmering away from the attack nearly scorched him. Leaf hissed, panting as he tried to scramble further out of range.

"I _am_ the guardian here!" Groudon roared. "You're clearly after something! I cannot let you pass!"

Groudon breathed out another Flamethrower, and Leaf managed to roll out of the way just in time. He darted forward, boosting his speed with a Quick Attack. Leaping upwards, Leaf rammed into Groudon's unarmored stomach, and the larger Pokémon gave a dull cry of surprise.

"That's—a—lie!"

Leaf punctuated each word with a Leaf Blade, and large cuts immediately spread over Groudon's chest. As he tumbled back to the ground, Leaf caught his breath and prepared to charge again. He hesitated briefly, however; an odd light flickered over Groudon's body, if only for a moment.

Taking advantage of the pause, Groudon slashed forward with one of his massive claws, catching Leaf off guard. One claw managed to tear into Leaf's skin, and he grunted as blood dripped from his shoulder. He tried to ignore it, and Leaf slashed out with another Leaf Blade before Groudon had the chance to catch his balance.

His speed really did give him an advantage at this point; despite having been hit, Leaf was far more agile than Groudon. He managed to get in several more Leaf Blades in rapid succession, and Groudon didn't have time to react. After a dishing out a particularly deep slash to the chin, Leaf jumped backwards and caught his breath again.

Leaf noticed another odd flickering coming from Groudon's body as he dug through his bag for an Oran Berry. The massive Pokémon was wheezing, with his torso covered in slashes, and he seemed almost translucent. Deciding he didn't need to worry about healing himself yet, Leaf lashed out with one final Leaf Blade.

Groudon slowly tumbled forward, glowing more and more brightly. Just before he would have hit the ground, smoke exploded from his body, and he disappeared completely.

Leaf's eyes widened for a moment as he finally ate an Oran Berry. There was a small shadow hovering in the smoke as it dissipated, but it too vanished before he could get a closer look. It was becoming all too clear that it had been an illusion—a highly realistic one; how in the world had he been able to feel that?

Even if he hadn't needed the Time Gear, Leaf's curiosity would have led him through the hills in the distance. There was a Pokémon there waiting for him as the crag abruptly turned into grass, and the lake sprawled out ahead of them. Uxie was facing away from him, but he'd obviously heard him approaching.

"You heard from them, didn't you?"

"Them?" Leaf repeated dubiously. "I assume you mean the Wigglytuff Guild? I heard of this place long before I learned about their expedition."

Uxie turned around to face him, and although his eyes were closed, Leaf took care to avert his gaze. He wasn't sure how much of it was true, but he'd heard a few rumors on the way out here… If looking Uxie in the face really did allow him to alter memories, it wasn't a risk Leaf could afford to take.

"I _am_ impressed that you managed to defeat my Groudon illusion, but…it's clear you're not here for sightseeing," Uxie analyzed.

"Indeed. I'm sorry about this, but I don't think you'd agree to just hand over your Time Gear…"

"What could you possibly need with—"

Leaf didn't give him a chance to finish. A single Quick Attack was all it took to catch Uxie by surprise, and Leaf darted forward while the Psychic-Type was trying to catch his breath. All he wanted to do was temporarily stun Uxie. He didn't have time for another fight, and he was still worn out from that battle with the fake Groudon.

The water was fairly shallow, yet deep enough that he could submerge himself from view. The Time Gear wasn't too far away, either; Leaf didn't have to hold his breath for long. He plunged his free claw into his treasure bag the instant he'd grabbed the gear, clutching one of the Escape Orbs he'd managed to find on his way there.

As the orb activated, an odd twisting feeling formed in Leaf's stomach; it was similar to how he felt when Celebi and Jirachi teleported him places. When his vision cleared, Leaf was standing back in front of the entrance to Steam Cave, and the Escape Orb had taken on a dull, lifeless hue. Leaf smiled as he flung it to the side; the whole thing had taken just a few minutes.

He carefully put his third Time Gear into his bag, wisely deciding to leave the area before all the residents managed to flee the cave and notice him.

* * *

Upon returning to Treasure Town, Leaf settled into his usual habit of scavenging for information. Although the news didn't get out right away, it spread more quickly than it had the previous two times. To make matters worse, this incident led to near-disastrous results.

He'd been discovered.

He found it out almost immediately; while news may have taken a day or two to reach Treasure Town, it spread like wildfire once the resident Pokémon heard about it. Apparently, unlike Ditto, Uxie had recovered quickly enough to get away from Fogbound Lake in time, and Leaf cursed himself for holding back.

Really, it was bound to happen sooner or later, but he would have preferred for it to be later. _Much_ later.

It didn't help that Leaf had started to hear rumors of a "great Dusknoir" who had been helping the town's Pokémon recently. While it wouldn't have surprised him if it was the same Dusknoir who had caused trouble for the investigation team—it would have surprised him _more_ if Dusknoir _didn't_ follow him—he still hoped otherwise. Not only did it mean he'd have to work even faster, Leaf had to hope that wherever Claire was, she hadn't run into Dusknoir yet.

Sighing, Leaf made sure he was safely hidden by the shrubbery behind Duskull's bank as he opened his Wonder Map. The Northern Desert and Crystal Cave were his last two destinations, and he had to choose wisely now more than ever. Neither of them were as far away as he would have liked, but since everyone would be on the lookout for him, he supposed it wouldn't have helped much to pick based on location anyway.

At least the Northern Desert would probably have a good deal of Ground-Types, which would make the trip go more smoothly. It was with that thought that he folded up his map and set out, watching his back even more than usual as he headed for the crossroads at the end of town.

* * *

Fortunately, Leaf had been correct in assuming he'd have an advantage in Northern Desert. Any skirmishes he got himself into barely slowed him down at all, which was a blessing given the sandstorms he encountered deeper in the dungeon. All of the nicks and cuts the raging sand gave him would've made any fights he got into even worse otherwise.

Overall, it could be worse. When Leaf reached the end of the dungeon and arrived at the quicksand pits, he counted himself lucky that he'd paid attention to so many of Michelle and Claire's discussions on the area. If Leaf hadn't known that he was _supposed_ to do something as crazy as leap into quicksand, he probably would have turned back.

Leaf held his breath and closed his eyes as he sank through the sand, and he coughed and sputtered when he hit the ground in the dungeon below. Shaking himself off, he proceeded quickly, glad once again that he had an upper hand against most of the dungeon's residents.

He nearly panicked upon running into a Skorupi, though. Leaf sighed when the bug scuttled away; she wasn't the one who Leaf had met before. He internally scolded himself; his haste was making him way too jumpy.

Leaf skidded to a halt when he reached the depths of the dungeon. He could hear the faint sound of running water, indicating he'd reached the lake, but there were also voices… A couple of them even sounded familiar. Quietly, Leaf walked around the corner and peered into the next room.

"For someone so adorable, you sure are stubborn! Come on, Mesprit, just listen to us already!"

"I can't—don't lie to me! I heard about you from Uxie!"

"What? But we didn't do anything to him!"

Leaf groaned in disbelief. The Meowth and Chimchar he'd seen around Treasure Town were up ahead, accompanied by a Cacnea and a Cubone. Oddly enough, he didn't recall ever seeing the four of them together in town. That didn't matter too much right now, but Leaf couldn't believe his poor timing. He'd been hoping to avoid running into any trouble…

After a moment's observation, Leaf hesitantly concluded that they might not be trouble after all. They were gathered around Mesprit, and while their stances had initially made the situation unclear, he could make out heavy bruises on all of them. Mesprit was in a heap on the cave's floor, and she was glaring up at the team.

Leaf headed into the main chamber, and the five occupants whipped around in surprise as they heard him approach. Cacnea pointed accusingly at him as he got closer.

"Hey! You're the one on the wanted poster, aren't you?" she demanded.

There were wanted posters already? Leaf bit his tongue in an attempt to hold back a frustrated growl. That was just his luck, but there was nothing he could do about it now… He folded his arms over his chest as he composed himself.

"And if I was going to take the Time Gear, what could any of you do about it? You've really cut my work out for me," he replied.

Mesprit's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, you four—I should have listened!"

Slowly, she managed to pull herself up and floated in front of the team. Mesprit raised her arms as her eyes glowed dully; she was probably trying to prepare a Psychic attack. However, Leaf easily rammed into her with a Quick Attack, and she tumbled right back down to the ground.

"That fight took a lot out of you. I'd like to avoid making things even worse, if you don't mind."

He darted towards the lake, but a sudden burst of electricity hit the ground near Leaf's feet. Grunting in surprise, he turned around to see Meowth pointing her claws at him. Despite the fact that she was wheezing heavily, and her three teammates were busy tending to Mesprit, Meowth was glaring at him.

Leaf gave her a brief look over before deciding what to do. Fortunately, she hadn't gained any new cuts from that fight—the scars she already had hadn't healed up from the last time he'd seen her in Treasure Town. However, she was obviously exhausted… It wouldn't take much to swat her out of the way.

Oddly enough, as Leaf's eyes flickered over her face, he caught sight of her eyes. They were almost the exact same shade of brown as Claire's were… Didn't Meowth normally have black eyes? And Claire had gotten injured when they'd been in the Passage of Time, too. Had it been on her right or left side?

Meowth took advantage of the fact that Leaf was mulling over the coincidences and tried to lash out at him with a Night Slash. However, her reflexes were too slow at the moment, so Leaf focused in time to dodge. He then dashed towards the lake before Meowth could regain her balance.

Once again, the lake fortunately wasn't too deep. Leaf easily reached the Time Gear, even with his limited swimming abilities. The instant he grabbed it, Leaf reached into his treasure bag and grabbed another Escape Orb.

Seconds later, Leaf was standing outside the entrance of the Northern Desert. He nodded as he secured the Time Gear in his bag; at least things had smoothed over despite the hold-up, and he hadn't actually had to battle Mesprit. Still, it seemed as if the past two Time Gears had been a bit _too_ easy to obtain…

Shaking his head, Leaf tried to assure himself that he was worrying too much. He just needed one more, and then he'd have the required five; now was no time to be getting nervous.


	13. Plan of Action

**Author's Note:** The final bit of Time Gear stuff that's from Grovyle's point of view, as well as a little Dusknoir, is here! First part's mainly here because, again, I felt like the fic needed a little more of him. Plus, it has the added bonus of at least mentioning some parts of the mid-game that would've gotten skipped over otherwise. Anyway, have the Crystal Cave fight, too; that's always important. Team Shadow having more official members made that a bit more interesting, I think.

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: Plan of Action**

Honestly, the whole situation had been too easy, but Dusknoir wasn't going to complain. It wasn't just recent events; from the beginning, everything had gone according to plan.

The first few days had been spent taking odd jobs from various Pokémon around town. Whether it was through word of mouth or requests from patrons at that café near the crossroads, Dusknoir had quickly racked up the accolades from completing missions. He'd done things without the aid of the Sableye, much as they'd all begged to help; while none of the jobs had been very hard, Dusknoir had (correctly) assumed that going alone would make him look more impressive.

It had worked far better than he could've imagined. In less than a week, he'd already gained a reputation as some brilliant explorer.

And then, another week or two after that, the guild's crew had returned from their expedition, and Dusknoir had done his best to endear himself to them, too. Surprisingly, word of his explorations had already reached them, which sped things up considerably. They'd stubbornly refused to admit that they'd found a Time Gear at Fogbound Lake, so he'd been forced to play along, despite knowing there was one there. Still, he couldn't give himself away too soon.

None of them suspected a thing, and relying on them for information was all too easy. All of them were completely enamored with him, even one in particular. That lanky, scarred Meowth had caught Dusknoir's attention early on, if only because of how unusual she looked. And then a few small details about her started ringing some alarm bells for him.

There was the way she acted, first of all. Dusknoir had watched her go around the guild and Treasure Town, and the animated way Meowth talked to her teammates vaguely reminded him of something Missy had once said. According to her, Claire—their human target—was equally energetic. At the time, it had seemed like little more than a coincidence, but Dusknoir figured that news of a human ought to pass by the guild at some point or another. If Claire _did_ come by, he'd hear about it.

And then there'd been the news of her ability. She had the Dimensional Scream, and she and her Chimchar partner had been all too happy to announce this to him. She'd even told him her name, none the wiser. _It was her_—it had to be. Dusknoir didn't know how she'd managed to disguise herself like that, but he supposed it was beneficial in the long run if whatever happened had caused her to lose her memories, too.

Now, here he was, with Claire secure and Grovyle almost in reach. It had been tempting to eliminate Claire on the spot once he'd learned her identity, but he had to maintain his kindly facade for as long as he could. If he could make her think that she was doing something to help him, then Claire could lead Dusknoir right to Grovyle, and he could take care of both of them at once.

The plan was simple but effective. He just had to wait a little longer, and he could safely assume that the future—_his_ future—would come to pass. Then, Dusknoir would be safe; his fear of his disappearing would vanish, and everything would be fine.

Still, the day before Claire's team set out for Crystal Cave, he couldn't help the odd feeling of…_something_ in the back of his mind. It wasn't something he could entirely place, but there was a lingering sense of wrongness nonetheless. He'd _seen_ this world; he'd been here long enough. The wind, the sun, the weather; they were all admittedly nice.

Missy, the Sableye…_none_ of the residents of his world really _deserved_ to live like they were, did they? If they could have something like this, Dusknoir would've liked them to enjoy it. But…he couldn't sit by and let them die. The fact of the matter was that they _couldn't_ have it, and preserving it would be catastrophic. Dusknoir wouldn't stand back and let Grovyle destroy every last one of them.

"Great Dusknoir, sir? Is everything all right?"

He blinked; one of the guild's crew mates, Chatot, had caught him drifting off. Dusknoir shook himself and offered a smile to the bird.

"Absolutely, my friend!" he lied. "Just reminding myself of all we need to do, is all."

Chatot seemed to accept that explanation, and he nodded. He hopped off to discuss something with Wigglytuff, and Dusknoir sighed as he headed towards the guild's exit.

Yes…concern for everyone else. That was what he'd tell himself. It made Dusknoir feel better about his own fear of death, and it let him ignore the fact that he was dooming all of these perfectly fine Pokémon due to his own cowardice.

He had to get ready. The next day, he would secretly follow Team Shadow to Crystal Lake, and hopefully he could capture Grovyle there. Then, this would be over once and for all.

* * *

Meanwhile, Leaf had an odd mixture of dread and excitement coursing through his mind as he set out for Crystal Cave. He was _so close_, but now he needed to be more careful than ever. Fortunately, Crystal Cave wasn't too hard of a dungeon; he ran into a few long, winding tunnels, but it otherwise wasn't too complicated.

Leaf breathed a sigh of relief when he arrived in the final room of the dungeon. While his sole memory of the place wasn't a positive one, he'd still gotten enough information to go off of. He at least knew that the lake was nearby, and that the crystals all had to be one color.

He quickly touched all three crystals, and static ran over them as they changed colors. When they settled on a dark blue, the chamber shook as a surge of white light gathered between the crystals. Leaf had to cover his eyes for a moment, and when he looked back up, a crystalline door-like structure had formed in front of him.

Leaf eagerly darted on ahead, but he couldn't help frowning when he heard the entrance close up behind him. If it didn't reopen later, he'd just have to be grateful that he had one last Escape Orb in his bag. Either way, Leaf tried to stay focused as he progressed further into the dungeon.

The crossing took him longer to traverse than the main dungeon had, but that didn't surprise him much. He did have a close call with a Glalie at one point, but otherwise, the area was fairly straightforward apart from its length.

When Leaf reached the final chamber, he was relieved to see that the lake was both out in the open and that there wasn't anyone immediately in sight, unlike with Fogbound Lake and Quicksand Cave, respectively. The lack of presence was suspicious, though… Hadn't Claire mentioned a guardian of some sort? Azelf, if he remembered the name correctly…

As if on cue, the guardian materialized in front of the lake. Azelf's eyes narrowed, but he remained quiet as Leaf continued approaching. When he'd gotten closer, Azelf finally spoke.

"Don't think I don't know what you want," Azelf warned.

"Well, I didn't expect otherwise," Leaf replied. "But I need your Time Gear, and I hope you know I'm not going to give up easily."

"Of course…and neither will I."

With that, Azelf's eyes flashed, and a burst of energy shot towards Leaf. He dodged the Psychic blast just in time, and lunged forward with his leaves raised. Azelf floated out of the way just as easily, and Leaf growled. He tried to slash forward again, only for Azelf to effortlessly float even higher.

"Don't make this difficult, Azelf!"

As Azelf lowered himself to prepare another Psychic, Leaf charged towards him, boosting his speed with a Quick Attack. He leapt into the air, gaining enough momentum to crash into Azelf, and the two of them tumbled back down to the floor.

Azelf cried out in surprise, but he managed to strike Leaf with the attack he'd meant to use earlier. Leaf hissed as the energy blast hit him straight on, and the brightness caused him to be essentially blind for a few seconds. Frantically, he tried to slash downwards, hoping at least one attack would connect while his vision refocused.

He felt his leaves slash into Azelf several times, but Leaf was soon flung backwards with another Psychic attack. Grunting as he hit the ground, Leaf rolled to the side as he forced himself back up. He'd admittedly had low expectations thanks to his encounters with Uxie and Mesprit… This was no time to get careless.

Azelf seemed to be tiring out as well, and Leaf took the opportunity to ram into him with another Quick Attack. The Psychic-Type's eyes widened as the wind was knocked out of him, and Leaf adeptly jumped over him and dashed towards the lake.

"All right…" he muttered. "Now, just to get that Time Gear!"

"N-no," Azelf gasped, trying to catch his breath. "I won't let you!"

Suddenly, a sharp cracking sound echoed through the area, and the lake's surface shook. A series of crystals burst through the water, making a wall of sorts as they climbed higher and higher. They stopped before reaching the chamber's ceiling, but they were far too high for Leaf to attempt to climb over.

Leaf felt a knot of panic form in his stomach; the obvious way to his last Time Gear was now blocked off. Whirling around in frustration, Leaf glared at Azelf. He was in a heap on the ground, likely having used up the rest of his energy forming those crystals.

"Azelf! Take that barrier down this instant—"

"Leave him alone, Grovyle!"

Leaf groaned as the team he'd seen at Mesprit's lake arrived in the chamber, with Meowth in the lead. How in the world had they known to come here? And, of course, they'd arrived at an inconvenient time…

Four-against-one odds… A fight wouldn't be easy. Still, Leaf had gotten out of worse situations in the dark future. Even alone, it would be difficult but not impossible.

Of course, a fight was what they wanted. Despite being in a large group, they seemed to have a good amount of coordination rather than getting in each other's way. He watched them break into pairs, with Cubone and Cacnea trying to attack him from one side, while Chimchar and Meowth came at him from the other.

Leaf relied on his speed, as usual, avoiding a good number of their moves as he watched their frustration grow. Eventually, he realized that dodging repeatedly would just tire him out, and he needed to get on the offensive at some point… Leaf paused to consider some options. Cubone wouldn't be much of a problem, but Chimchar could give him some difficulty… He should likely go after Meowth and Chimchar first, then.

While he'd stopped to think, Cubone took the opportunity to lash out at him with a Bone Club attack. Leaf grunted as he stumbled backwards, feeling a large bruise form on his chest. Cacnea then darted behind him, pinning her arms around him to lock him in place.

"You know," she said teasingly, "you're a lot cuter up close than you are on that stupid wanted poster. It's a shame that we're going to have to get so rough with you now…" She then shouted, "Felix! Come on!"

Chimchar nodded, blasting a Flamethrower towards them. Leaf panicked as things started to move in slow motion. He struggled against Cacnea, trying to free himself before the move hit. Then, Cacnea let go of him, and she tried to shove him into the flames.

An idea suddenly flashed into his mind, and Leaf tore into the surprisingly soft ground of the dungeon. He managed to get himself underground just in time; he felt the fire shimmering right over his head. He then heard a surprised shriek as the Flamethrower struck Cacnea; that was exactly what he'd been hoping.

Leaf leapt back up in time to see Cubone anxiously running towards Cacnea, and he lashed out at Cubone with several successive Leaf Blades. She tumbled to the ground in a heap next to Cacnea, covered in large gashes. Just to be safe, he picked her up and hurled her into her teammate. Hopefully, the collision would keep them both out for a while.

Then Leaf turned to the other two; Chimchar looked downright terrified at this point. Meowth was doing a little better with keeping her nerves off her face, but the glance she gave to her unconscious friends was enough to let him know that she had her doubts as well. The thought made him a little guilty, but hopefully preying on their nerves would make this go more smoothly.

He rammed into Chimchar before the Fire-Type had time to dodge, and then sent him flying with a Quick Attack. For good measure, Leaf struck Chimchar across the back with several Pound attacks as he fell to the floor. Chimchar's eyes remained in a wide-eyed stare as he collapsed.

That left just Meowth, and she stepped backwards as he approached. She then grinned, however, and her whiskers twitched as she launched a Thunderbolt at him. Leaf stepped aside, but the attack scorched his leg, and he winced. Meowth took the opportunity to shoot another Thunderbolt at him. This one was more accurate, and Leaf hissed in pain as scorch marks formed on his side.

Still, he had to think of something. He gave her another look over—her left eye was noticeably unfocused. Maybe if he kept to that side, she'd have a harder time seeing him. Leaf circled around her, and Meowth spun around, lagging slightly despite her best attempts at keeping up. Quickly, he struck out with a Pound, and she mewed in surprise as the attack hit her. Finally, Leaf finished her off with a Leaf Blade, and he turned back towards the lake as Meowth crumpled. He had to figure out a way around those crystals, but trying to use Dig to get underneath the lake would be too risky…

Before Leaf could get any closer, he felt a fist collide with his back, and he gasped as he stumbled forward. Had one of them gotten back up? Scrambling to his feet, Leaf whipped around to see who it was, and felt his breath catch in his throat.

_Dusknoir_, of all Pokémon, was hovering over him. Leaf had expected the Ghost-Type to follow him back to the past… Still, he was the last Pokémon Leaf wanted to see right now.

"Why, Dusknoir," Leaf spat. "Imagine seeing you here! I should have known you'd show up at such a time."

"Ah, Grovyle…" Dusknoir chuckled coldly. "You've given me quite the chase, but your time is up. Care to come easily? Or will you make this difficult?"

"What a thing to ask. You really think I would just give myself up?"

With that, Leaf promptly shoved a claw into his bag. He had one last Escape Orb, and he had to make it count. Leaf grabbed the orb and smashed it into the ground, and Dusknoir's outraged roar was the last thing he heard before everything started to blur.

When he materialized outside, Leaf sighed and closed his eyes. With that barrier in the way, it would be difficult to get the Time Gear quickly… Surely it wasn't indestructible, but Leaf had no idea how he'd go about removing it.

There was always Dark Crater… It might not have a guardian, after all. But he _knew_ Dark Crater wouldn't be much easier than trying to get through the crystal barrier. At this point, either location would be a gamble.

Before Leaf could think further, he saw a rustling in a bush nearby, and there was a flash of purple that looked oddly like a Sableye. Of course Dusknoir would have brought a few of his minions along… The Sableye would surely go into Crystal Cave and report that Leaf was standing around outside like a sitting Ducklett.

Leaf promptly dashed away, deciding to get as much distance between him and Crystal Cave as possible for now. He could make his final decision when he was in a safer location.

* * *

"Hey, Vigoroth! Did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

Leaf peered out from behind the tree he'd been resting under. He'd been mentally arguing with himself for a while, going around in circles about what he should do. Perhaps the distraction would be welcome.

Vigoroth had been stopped by one of the shop owners, Electivire. The Electric-Type leaned over his counter with a grin as Vigoroth approached him.

"I just heard from Team Shadow that Azelf and the great Dusknoir are trying to find a way to permanently seal away the Time Gears. Crazy stuff, huh?"

"I'll say! Do you even think that's possible?"

"Who knows? But it'll be worth it if it works, don't you think? Oh, and by the way, could you run over to Marowak's Dojo and tell him I accidentally got some of his mail the other day?"

Leaf didn't listen to the rest of the conversation; his hearing had gone out, and he felt his claws shaking. This was even worse than the crystal barrier—at least that could possibly be torn down. And did they really mean _all_ the Time Gears, or just the one at Crystal Lake?

He couldn't risk Dark Crater now. Even if he managed to get all the way to the Time Gear, there was the chance he wouldn't be able to get it; he'd potentially be endangering himself for no reason. At least with Crystal Cave, the dungeon itself was safer…

Without a moment's more hesitation, Leaf fled Treasure Town, but not without the nagging feeling that something was about to go very, very wrong.


	14. Back to the Future

**Author's Note:** Slightly mixed feelings on this chapter, to be honest. It feels a bit busy, but I couldn't figure out a good place to cut it. On the other hand, I do get to introduce a new character here, as well as make some kind of token explanation for the recruitment system. Blissey makes a reappearance, and I had some fun with the guild members here. Also, I get to make a horribly obvious shout out in the chapter title, so that's a thing.

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Back to the Future**

The first thing Claire noticed was that she was very warm, and next, that she was lying on something very comfortable… It didn't feel like she was in Crystal Cave anymore. When Claire opened her eyes, things were still blurry. It was obvious that she was in her room back at the guild, though, which was a relief.

"C-Claire?"

Felix's voice sounded groggy, and Claire rolled over to see the Chimchar on his usual bed beside hers. His eyes were only half-open, and his body was bruised in several places. Beyond him, Rin and Iris were stirring, but they weren't quite awake yet.

"How long have you been up?" Claire asked.

"J-just a few minutes…"

"I don't wanna get up yet…"

Iris muttered grumpily as she tried to sit up. Rin's eyes fluttered open as Iris crashed back down to the floor. She laid there blinking for a few seconds, finally sitting up with a bit more success.

"How long have we been here?" Iris groaned.

"_They're awake, everybody_!"

A loud shriek sounded from the doorway. Heliona was sitting there, and she gleefully spun around and darted down the hallway. The rest of the recruits stampeded in, with only a few phrases being understandable through the din.

"Not so loudly, Heliona!"

"It's ABOUT TIME you got up! It's been AGES!"

"Oh my gosh! This is so great!"

"Everyone, please back up and stop crowding the poor dears."

The guild's members sheepishly stepped aside as Blissey squeezed into the room. Sighing, the nurse gave a quick glance to Team Shadow, all of whom were still confused.

"You were out for a few days," she informed them. "I've been here checking up on you at Wigglytuff's request."

"A few days?" Claire repeated. "But that fight didn't even take very long. I didn't think we got hurt _that_ badly…"

Blissey shook her head. "Most of your injuries weren't _too_ bad, though you and Cubone had a few nasty gashes. Under normal circumstances, you'd probably be fine, but it sounds like that thief really caught you off guard… Oh, here, all of you need to drink this."

She handed each of them a small glass bottle. As Claire drank the medicine, she recognized it as the same mixture that Blissey had given her the day she'd joined the guild. She watched with interest as a few cuts on her chest glowed faintly. Unlike her scars, the marks from Grovyle's Leaf Blade attack healed up instantly.

Claire turned to her teammates, watching as they did as Blissey told. Iris winced as she swallowed her medicine—it _was_ quite bitter, Claire admitted—but Iris proceeded to grin as the burns on her body disappeared. Felix and Rin looked more eager to drink their doses upon seeing Claire and Iris's results, and their injuries healed up just as quickly.

"All right," Blissey said with a smile, collecting the empty bottles. "I'll check back in another day or two, but I'll go ahead and stress how important it is for you to relax. See you again soon, dears!"

She turned around and pushed her cart out of the room, and the rattling was audible for a few seconds. After Blissey was gone, Heliona poked her head back into the room.

"Chatot wants you guys to come out into the main room," she said.

With that, the Vulpix bounded away. Claire rose to her feet and took a few wobbly steps, watching as Iris stood up with slightly more ease. Felix and Rin looked dizzier, with Felix clutching on to Claire's shoulder for support. Still, they managed to leave the room without incident, which Claire supposed was something.

The four of them shuffled down the residential hallway and into the basement's main room. When they arrived, the other recruits started cheering, but they gave Team Shadow more space this time. Chatot had a hint of concern on his face as they settled into their usual spots.

"Well, now that we have everyone…" Chatot started, his gaze lingering on Team Shadow. "The great Dusknoir wanted me to inform you that he's called a meeting in the town square, and he wanted as many of us as possible to attend. If Team Shadow is well enough, we should get over there as soon as—"

"Visitor detected! Visitor detected!"

"Not NOW, Diglett!" Loudred shouted towards the sentry grate. "This is IMPORTANT! Tell whoever it is to come back LATER!"

Diglett was apparently ignoring Loudred, however, as he could be vaguely heard conversing with whoever was outside. A few moments later, he spoke to the guild's members.

"But it's someone for Team Shadow…"

Chatot sighed. "Let them in, but tell them to make it quick!"

The gate could be heard rattling faintly as it opened, and, before anyone had time to blink, a Glameow was sitting in front of the assembly. He instantly strode up to Team Shadow, purring as a grin spread over his face.

"Hey! You have no idea how long I've been waiting to see you!"

"Who are you, again?" Claire blinked. "You look kind of familiar, but…"

"Oh, I know," Iris cut in. "You were the one following us around in Crystal Crossing, and I kept backhanding you because I thought you were trying to attack us."

"How do you remember these things?" Claire shook her head, giggling.

"Here, let me see if I'm right."

Iris walked over to Glameow, inspecting him closely. Then, she abruptly swung the end of her arm into the poor Pokémon's face, and the recruits made various shocked expressions as Glameow tumbled over. Iris ignored this, looking up at the ceiling with a contemplative look on her face.

"Yeah, that was definitely you," Iris confirmed. "Your face feels the same."

"Iris!" Claire sighed, kneeling down to help Glameow up. "I'm sorry, that's just Iris for you. What is it you needed?"

"Well, at least we know Iris is really better," Felix muttered, sharing a resigned look with Rin.

"I was going to ask you if—"

Chatot cut him off. "Ask them later! We've wasted enough time, and we need to get over to the town square now!"

"You can come along with us if you want," Claire offered.

Glameow nodded as the recruits started filing over to the ladder. When they arrived outside, Claire smiled; knowing that she'd been unconscious for a few days made the fresh air a relief. She turned back to Glameow as they started walking down to the crossroads.

"So…my name's Bruce," he introduced. "I was watching you guys go through Crystal Crossing, and you looked pretty strong! I was really impressed, and…"

"How much did you see?" Claire winced. "Did you watch our battle with Grovyle?"

Bruce nodded again, and he surprisingly still looked excited.

"Yeah! Everyone knows what's going on, of course, but that's the first time I've actually seen someone put up a fight against Grovyle. You and Azelf sure managed to slow him down!"

Claire sighed in relief. "That makes me feel a little better, I guess…"

By that point, the guild's members had arrived in Treasure Town. Most of its main residents, as well as a few other rescue teams, had gathered there already. Dusknoir and the lake guardians were standing in front of them, and Mesprit quickly flipped around and looked at the approaching Pokémon.

"Oh! They're here, Dusknoir!" she called, waving eagerly.

"Very well," Dusknoir replied, pausing as the recruits settled into place. "Now, then… I'm assuming you all wish to hear what we've decided to do about Grovyle. However, there's something I need to tell to you first."

"What could be more important than that?" Vigoroth asked, his well-known impatience earning him a groan from the assembly.

Dusknoir observed the crowd for a few moments before answering. "Why he's doing this, naturally. Grovyle's ultimate goal is to paralyze the planet."

The silence that followed was so complete that one could have heard a pin drop.

"W-what does that even MEAN?" Loudred finally demanded. "And HOW do you KNOW that?"

"Paralysis of the planet would refer to time halting _everywhere_. Enough Time Gears get taken, and that's what will happen. Day and night don't pass properly, the wind stops… I'm aware this is hard to understand, but it would be difficult to fully describe unless it actually happens."

Dusknoir paused for a moment, and a few Pokémon laughed nervously. It was hard to tell if Dusknoir's last phrase had been a joke or not. Nevertheless, the mouth markings on Dusknoir's stomach curved upwards into something resembling a smirk, and Claire blinked in surprise. However, the expression was gone seconds later, and she wondered if she'd just imagined it.

"But how do you…?" Dugtrio started.

"Well, that part is simple enough…in comparison, anyway. Grovyle came here from the future to start his plans, and I'm here to stop him. I apologize for not telling you all this sooner, but—"

"Oh my gosh! Pokémon can come from the future?" Sunflora exclaimed.

Claire put her head in her paws as the assembled Pokémon started chattering in confusion. There was an odd tugging sensation in the back of her head, similar to the feeling she'd had at Fogbound Lake and the Northern Desert, but it was stronger this time. While she didn't know what either of those places had to do with her memory, she had even _less_ of an idea why hearing about time travel would seem familiar.

The idea of a future that Dusknoir and Grovyle had come from didn't bother Claire so much in itself, she realized. That just made everything even weirder, though…

"Are you okay?"

Claire was shaken out of her thoughts when she heard Bruce's voice. The Glameow had seated himself to her left, and he was giving her a curious look. On her other side, Felix noticed that Claire had spaced out as well, and he looked just as confused.

"Yeah, Claire," Felix added. "It's weird for you to space out during something important…"

"I'm fine." Claire shook her head; she still had a bit of a headache, though it was fading. "Let's pay attention!"

"…Grovyle will probably try to come back to my lake," Azelf was saying. "He was incredibly angry last time, so I wouldn't be surprised if he wants to try me again."

"So you think we should bait him to you," Uxie clarified. "It seems risky, but…"

"It's our best bet, if you think about it!" Mesprit interjected. "We'll be expecting him this time, so we'll be able to prepare better. Is that fine with you, Dusknoir?"

The Ghost-Type folded his arms, but he nodded eventually. "As Uxie said, this _will_ be quite dangerous… If you three are up to it, however, I agree that this plan has its merits. I'll just have to insist that the four of us are the only ones involved."

"Hey, hey… That's disappointing," Corphish sighed.

"We do need your help, though!" Mesprit grinned. "You guys can spread the news for us! If Grovyle hears about it, he'll be even more likely to come back to Crystal Crossing."

"Indeed." Dusknoir looked back at the assembled Pokémon. "Is this clear to everyone?"

Cheers and cries of agreement rose from the group, and Dusknoir and the lake guardians nodded to each other. Dusknoir waved his arms broadly to regain everyone's attention.

"All right, then! We'll go on to Azelf's lake. Everyone, do your part!"

The crowd parted, talking excitedly as they tried to process everything they'd just heard. As the recruits formed a line back to the guild, Felix looked over at Claire again.

"Oh, this just makes the great Dusknoir even more amazing, doesn't it?" Felix grinned, though it faded after a moment. "What were you thinking about earlier? You missed some of what Dusknoir said…"

Claire shrugged. "I was just wondering about the future, I guess."

Rin nodded. "That makes sense. I wonder what the future is even like…"

"Yeah," Bruce agreed. "And I wonder what would happen if Grovyle's plan works. Do you think it would just…make the future become like that? Or would it disappear altogether and make a different one?"

"Who knows?" Iris shrugged. "Let's just leave this to Dusknoir and relax!"

Claire nodded. She was curious about what would (hypothetically) happen to the future as well, but there wasn't anything they could do about it for now. Besides, if Dusknoir's plan worked, they wouldn't have to worry about it anyway.

They arrived back at the guild shortly afterwards, and it took a few minutes for everyone to climb down the entrance ladder. Claire stopped in the middle of the second basement, waiting for Bruce to catch up as the recruits dispersed. She grinned and scratched the back of her head as the Glameow sat down in front of her.

"Okay, _now_ you can tell us what you wanted to say earlier!"

"I was hoping I could join your team, if that's okay with you guys!"

"Um…" Claire looked over at Felix, Rin, and Iris. "Well, that would be nice, but we already have four members. I'm not sure if we can have more than that…"

"Of course you can!"

They suddenly heard Chimecho's voice, and Claire looked up in surprise. Chimecho had been a few feet away, talking to Sunflora, and she floated over to Team Shadow.

"Chatot recently put me in charge of organizing everyone's team registries," she explained. "If you already have four teammates and you want to add someone else, you just have to put them on standby!"

"Standby?" Felix repeated. "What does that mean?"

"Glameow could join your team, but in order for him to come on missions with you, someone else would have to stay at the guild," Chimecho elaborated. "So, if you were going somewhere and you knew that, say, Cacnea would be a disadvantage, she could stay here and Glameow could come along instead."

"That makes sense…" Claire mused. "Let's get Bruce registered, then!"

"Okay, let me find your list… Wait for me over there by the guildmaster's room!"

Team Shadow did as told while Chimecho floated into Wigglytuff's room. She came out a few minutes later, gripping the list by folding up the lower half of her body, and she set it down in front of Claire and Bruce.

"I just need you two to sign this for me, and it'll be official!"

Nodding, Claire and Bruce did as told, with Bruce holding the pen Chimecho had provided with the tip of his tail. Chimecho picked up the list again and headed back towards Wigglytuff's room.

"The guildmaster gave us the rest of the day off, so you can figure out the specifics tomorrow," Chimecho called as she went inside.

"That's rare," Iris commented. "You know Chatot probably didn't like that."

"It's definitely a good thing, though!" Claire grinned again, turning to Bruce. "Hey, let's show you around the guild!"

Bruce looked around eagerly. "All right! I can't wait to get started."

* * *

The next morning, everyone was refreshed and ready to get going. All the recruits had gathered in the meeting room, as usual, and Chatot was going over a report he'd gotten from Officer Magnezone.

"…So we'll just have to wait for Dusknoir to come back." Chatot looked around at the recruits as he concluded the news. "In the meantime, let's get back to our regular work!"

"_Yes, sir_!"

As the guild members left the room to start their usual tasks, Claire turned to Bruce.

"Chatot usually has us look at the job requests listed on the bulletin boards upstairs, so let's—"

"Hey, Team Shadow?"

Diglett popped out of the ground nearby, cutting off Claire's sentence. He looked over at the sentry grate before continuing, making it obvious what he was going to ask.

"My dad asked me to cover the boards today, so could one of you help Loudred with sentry duty?"

"I will," Rin offered.

"Yeah, you're the best of us at sentry duty," Iris grumbled. "_I'm_ not doing that."

Rin merely rolled her eyes as she walked over to the grate, deciding not to lecture Iris about her poor sentry scores. Diglett nodded before burrowing underground again.

"Thanks, Cubone!"

"Meet me at Spinda's Café when you get back, okay?"

"We will!" Claire called.

The rest of Team Shadow headed up the ladder and over to the bulletin boards. Team Lightning was already examining the outlaw board, so Claire walked over to the regular mission board. After scanning it for a few seconds, she pulled down two sheets of paper.

"It looks like there are two postings for Drenched Bluff today. There's an Eevee who needs help finding her friend Shellder, and a Quilava wants us to look for an item he lost," she read. "Does that sound good?"

Everyone nodded, and Claire tucked the requests into her treasure bag.

"Okay, let's just make a quick stop at the Kecleon Brothers' shop, and we'll be ready!"

* * *

"That went well!"

Claire grinned as Team Shadow arrived back at the guild with Shellder in tow. While they'd found him fairly late into the dungeon, the Quilava's lost Pecha Scarf hadn't been too hard to find. After that, they'd been able to turn their full attention to searching for the Water-Type, so things had balanced out after that.

Quilava had met up with them just outside the guild, and now they needed to find Eevee. As they entered the building and headed downstairs, they found Eevee waiting near the bulletin boards. She perked up upon seeing Shellder, bounding over to him.

"I was so worried, Gemma! Thanks so much for finding him. Here you go!"

Eevee handed Claire a pile of coins and an assortment of berries before she and Shellder left the guild. After Claire tucked the payment into her bag, she turned to Felix, Iris, and Bruce.

"Want to go on to the Café?"

"Of course!" Iris grinned. "It's been a while since we've had time to go."

The four of them promptly piled back outside. Claire stretched when she was out in the sunlight again, and they all headed down the stairs towards the crossroads. The café wasn't that far from the guild, but between everything that had happened lately, they just hadn't been able to make time to go.

Upon arriving at Spinda's Café, Claire noticed that it was unusually crowded. Iris managed to snag a table, and Felix and Bruce sat down with her as Claire went to order drinks. She handed Spinda the appropriate gummis for all five teammates and watched in amusement as he did his usual dance-and-stir routine. He set all the drinks on a tray, and Claire carefully balanced it as she walked back to Iris's table.

"So," she said, distributing the drinks and leaving room for Rin, "you caught on well today, Bruce."

"My parents always wanted me to be in an exploration team," Bruce explained. "My sisters and I would tag along on their trips sometimes."

Felix looked a little embarrassed. "Mine did too, but I was too scared to join the guild for a while… Maybe I wouldn't have been if they'd taken me out on explorations."

"Well, most of the time they'd have to get me out of trouble because I'd get distracted too easily. Today was fun, though, so I hope I get to come on explorations with you guys often!"

"We'll have to see if it's okay with Rin and Iris to swap out with you every once in a while," Claire replied. "I bet they'll always have something for you to do around the guild, though. Sentry duty is actually pretty fun, but…hey, where's Iris?"

It was at that point the three of them noticed that Iris had disappeared from the table. The fact that she hadn't added anything to the conversation should have tipped them off, in hindsight. Her cup was gone too, so that couldn't have been a good sign…

Claire noticed Iris standing over by Wynaut's prize drawing shop. One of the regular customers, Octillery, was buying a ticket, and Iris had just walked up to her. While the rest of Team Shadow couldn't hear Wynaut, they saw him shaking his head, and Octillery looked disappointment.

Iris took a sip of her drink, and then announced, "Hey, Octillery… I'll be your big win if you want—"

She was cut off by something ramming into her head, which caused her to drop her drink. The liquid splashed onto the floor as the projectile swerved back to the entrance. Nearly all the Pokémon at the bar looked up to see Rin standing at the entrance; the normally calm Cubone was giving Iris an impressive glare.

It became obvious that she'd just used Bonemerang, and she sighed as she walked over to Iris. Rin silently grabbed her by the shoulder and dragged her back over to Team Shadow's table, with Iris protesting all the way.

"Come on, Rin! Why do you have to be such a killjoy all the time? I was just having some fun… What are you even doing here?"

"Dugtrio actually got back to work, so Diglett went back to sentry duty and let me leave early," Rin explained, looking more at the rest of the team despite the fact that Iris had spoken. "Thanks for ordering my drink, Claire. How did it go today?"

As Rin took a sip of her drink, Claire giggled at Iris's sulky expression. She then turned back to Rin, launching into an animated discussion of some of the items they'd picked up at Craggy Coast as Bruce excitedly filled in smaller details.

* * *

"Hey, hey! I wish there was some way to find out when the great Dusknoir will be back…"

Later that night, most of the guild's recruits had once again piled into the room shared by Bidoof, Loudred, and Corphish. They were discussing the current situation with Crystal Cave, and Corphish had an unusually worried look on his face as he spoke.

"Oof… How long you reckon it'll take for Grovyle to hear the rumors, anyway?" Bidoof wondered.

"Oh, my gosh! You aren't doubting the great Dusknoir's plan, are you?" Sunflora demanded, waving her leaves around in distress.

"Golly, Sunflora! Of course not!"

"You know what would be totally awesome?" Heliona interrupted. "If Claire could just get one of her visions _right now_! It would be like, _'Whoosh! In exactly two days…'_ and then—"

"It doesn't work like that, exactly," Claire cut in, but she was trying not to laugh.

"Is she always like that?" Bruce asked.

"Yes." Sydney rolled his eyes. "Unfortunately."

"Actually, she wasn't quite so hyper before we met you, Sydney," Leon said.

"Great, so it's _my_ fault she's that way?"

"Hey!" Heliona objected.

Chatot suddenly poked his head into the room, but he didn't look angry this time. Lately, he'd been allowing the recruits to have these get-togethers, though he cut them off at whatever time he deemed appropriate. It was usually early, of course, but no one could complain; it was surprising enough that he'd even allowed the meetings at all.

"Get on to bed now! We'll need to be up as early as usual tomorrow to see if there's any news from the great Dusknoir."

"Yes, sir…"

Everyone sighed and reluctantly went to their rooms as Chatot left. It would probably take them a long time to fall asleep, even if they'd been allowed to stay up later. The anticipation alone was enough to keep them up for a while.

Claire forced her eyes shut as she lay down. She was admittedly jealous of the fact that Bruce fell asleep instantly; he was snoring lightly a few seconds later. Rolling over, Claire tried to get herself comfortable. Worrying wouldn't help, and she wanted to be able to pay attention if they did hear anything. It was with that thought that she finally dozed off.

* * *

"Well, as it stands…" Chatot winced the next morning. "At the moment, I haven't heard anything…"

"Officer Magnezone is here!"

Diglett's voice echoed up through the sentry grate. After a few seconds of muffled conversation, Diglett began speaking audibly again.

"Grovyle's been caught! Dusknoir wants us to meet him up at the town square!"

Chatot squawked. "What? Already? Everyone, get out there at once!"

The recruits immediately poured outside, cheering. True, they had just been hoping that Grovyle would be captured soon, but some of them—Heliona in particular—seemed adamant that their discussion had helped Dusknoir's plan succeed so quickly.

As they assembled in Treasure Town, many of them jumped at the sight in front of them. A large, dark portal was positioned between Electivire's link shop and Duskull's bank. Officer Magnezone and a few of his Magnemite assistants were hovering in front of it, preventing the town's residents from getting too close. When he saw the guild members approaching, he paused to explain the situation.

"_Bzzt_! Dusknoir called that a Dimensional Hole," he announced. "He says it will take him and Grovyle back to the future."

"Where's the great Dusknoir now, friendly friend?" Wigglytuff wondered.

"He'll be here shortly," Magnezone answered. "He just came to get the Dimensional Hole ready, and then he went to get Grovyle. _Bzzt_! Some of Dusknoir's subordinates were escorting Grovyle here."

As if on cue, Dusknoir himself became visible at the edge of the square. He was floating somberly towards them with several Sableye in tow. The Sableye formed a circle around Grovyle, and the Grass-Type had his wrists and mouth bound. Behind them were Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf, who were sharing pleased looks.

"My friends," Dusknoir proclaimed. "I bring you Grovyle the thief. I couldn't have done it without the cooperation of the lake guardians…or without your help as well."

The gathered Pokémon applauded, and the mouth on Dusknoir's stomach slanted upwards into a grin. He paused before gesturing towards Grovyle and the Sableye.

"It's time for us to send Grovyle back to the future we came from, where he can be properly punished for his crimes—"

Grovyle shook his head rapidly, causing the leaf on his head to sway back and forth. He made several muffled sounds, trying to object. One of the Sableye silenced him with a quick slash.

Claire looked at Grovyle curiously. He didn't seem angry, like she would've expected; instead, he almost seemed desperate. Grovyle noticed Claire was staring at him, and he met her eyes. Claire's heart raced; Grovyle's eyes were wide, begging her to do something. Not to mention she was getting that distinctly _familiar_ feeling again…

"…and I am just as disappointed as you are that I must return to the future as well!"

Claire's attention snapped back to Dusknoir when she realized he'd been speaking the whole time she'd been looking at Grovyle. All of the other Pokémon had upset looks on their faces, but they perked up as the Sableye started pushing Grovyle towards the Dimensional Hole. Although he struggled, there wasn't much he could do with his claws tied behind his back, so it didn't take long for the Sableye to shove him into the portal. They jumped in after him, and Dusknoir started moving towards it was well.

"Thank you for everything, great Dusknoir!"

"We owe you so much!"

"Oh, there's no need to thank me," Dusknoir replied, turning around. "I truly couldn't have done it without you, and especially not without Team Shadow! May I see you all up here for a moment, please?"

Bruce blinked and whispered to Claire, "Should I come up, too?"

"Well, you just joined us, so…I'm not really sure," she answered.

"I guess I'll stay here, then."

Claire smiled at him before heading over to Dusknoir with Felix, Rin, and Iris. Felix looked shaken at the idea of saying goodbye to Dusknoir, and Rin and Iris both wore forlorn expressions as well. Dusknoir swept them closer to him, holding two of them with each arm.

"I-I can't believe this is really goodbye," Felix sniffled.

"Don't be upset… I was telling the truth when I said I couldn't have done this without you… Which is why this is not goodbye for us!"

Dusknoir suddenly flung himself backwards into the portal, clinging to them more tightly. The last thing Claire heard was the stunned shouting of the town's Pokémon before the spinning portal made her too dizzy to stay conscious.

* * *

Claire awoke to a pounding headache. She tried to sit up, but she wobbled as her headache worsened. It took a few seconds for her vision to focus, and she mewed in surprise when she got a clear look of the room she was in. It was completely made of stone, and there were no windows anywhere. The only light came from a few torches in the distance, and bars covered the only exit. It looked like a prison of some sort, but why were they there?

Claire shook her head when she noticed Felix stirring next to her. After sitting up groggily, the Chimchar's eyes widened when he got a good look at their cell. He instantly clung to Claire's arm, his breath coming out in ragged gasps.

"W-what happened?" he squeaked. "Where are we?"

"What do _you_ think, Felix?"

On the other side of the room, Iris was already standing up, and Rin was quiet but awake. Iris walked over to the bars and attempted to loosen the door. It didn't budge, and Iris sat down with a scowl.

"I've been trying that for…I don't know how long."

"You're taking this pretty well…" Claire noted. "I mean, we don't even know where—"

"Well, Dusknoir said he was going to the future, right? That's got to be where we are. Provided he was telling the truth, anyway."

Rin nodded; clearly, they'd been discussing it while Claire and Felix were unconscious. Felix's eyes widened further.

"But why would he take us here? How are we supposed to get back? What if—"

The door rattled open, interrupting Felix. A large group of Sableye was standing there, their eyes reflecting the light from the torches a few of them were holding. One of them stepped forward, giving them a toothy smirk.

"All right, we're not gonna let you make this difficult."

He beckoned to a couple of the others and then tossed them blindfolds. Immediately, Iris tried to strike one of them with a Pin Missile, but she was treated to a Scratch for her trouble. The Sableye she'd attacked forced the blindfold over her face as the others turned to the rest of Team Shadow.

Felix and Rin shuffled backwards as Claire tried to launch off a Thunderbolt. The Sableye were far too quick, however. Two of them jumped on each teammate, tightly securing the blindfolds before they had time to react.

"You're surrounded, so trying to escape would be pointless," the first Sableye went on. "Wheh-heh… Not that you'd be able to figure out how to get out of here, anyway…"

Iris grumbled audibly as the Sableye shoved them along. Claire, on the other hand, remained silent; she was too busy wondering why the place felt familiar… At the moment, it was a pretty vague feeling, but it was there. Again, the fact that she was in the future didn't bother her so much, but rather, the fact she felt like she'd been there before.

After what felt like ages, Claire heard a door slamming shut, and one of the Sableye shoved her into a curved stone surface. Another Sableye shoved Felix next to her while a third bound them to the pillar with a rope. She could hear Rin and Iris getting the same treatment a few feet away from them, and after they were secure, the Sableye removed the blindfolds.

The room they were in now was almost as nondescript as the cell they'd just left. The Sableye scurried out as Claire took in their surroundings. They were tied to large pillars, and there were several more columns around the room. It was so large that the back of the room faded into darkness, but it was mostly empty.

After a few seconds, Claire noticed a figure near the door. A Misdreavus was lurking there, smirking as she looked from pillar to pillar. As the Ghost-Type's eyes flickered past Claire and Felix, Claire noticed that there was someone bound to the next pillar…Grovyle. He growled at the Misdreavus, and Claire tilted her head to the side in confusion. When she looked back near the door, however, the Misdreavus had vanished.

"Listen, you four," he muttered. "I don't know what you might have done to make Dusknoir angry with you, but—"

"The great Dusknoir would never be angry with us," Felix said weakly, his voice quivering.

"Right. Why else would you be here in the stockades, then?"

"Stockades? So you're saying were going to be executed?" Iris demanded.

"Unless I can get you to cooperate with me, yes."

"No! I'd n-never cooperate with…with a criminal like you, Grovyle!" Felix protested.

"You'd rather die?"

Grovyle's voice had a hint of dark amusement to it, and Felix started trembling. Meanwhile, an idea was rapidly forming in Claire's mind.

"He'd have the Sableye do it, right?" she asked.

Felix and Rin gasped in surprise. Grovyle looked stunned as well, as if he hadn't expected any of them to listen to him. He nodded soon enough, though.

"That's right. You catch on quickly. Their claws are perfect for this kind of thing."

"So…what if we got them to slash the ropes somehow?"

"Even if it's just a bit, that would loosen the ropes enough for us to get out," Iris finished, easily catching Claire's idea.

"That's perfect," Grovyle approved.

As if on cue, the door at the front of the room opened. Dusknoir entered, surrounded by another large group of Sableye. He looked at his five captives silently, then turned to the Sableye and snapped his fingers.

The Sableye darted forward, claws raised. Claire hissed as one of them slashed into her face, feeling blood trickling into her fur.

"H-hang on," Grovyle growled. "Shift slightly…"

Claire shrunk down, trying to get her head closer to the ropes. The Sableye didn't seem to notice, and his claws nicked the top of the rope as he slashed at her again. He stepped back, inhaling sharply when he realized what he'd done. The one attacking Felix didn't catch his partner's mistake, and he inadvertently cut a portion of the rope as well.

"_Now_!" Grovyle shouted.

Struggling against the ropes, Claire loosened them enough that she could slash at them herself. She and Felix tumbled to the floor as Grovyle, Rin, and Iris managed to remove their ropes as well. The Sableye collectively paused in surprise before slashing at them again.

Claire shot a Thunderbolt at the one in front of her. The rest of the group followed her lead, launching attacks of their own. Dusknoir's voice was audible in the background, calling for more Sableye.

"Cover your eyes and hold onto each other!"

Grovyle's voice rang out suddenly. Felix grabbed Claire's arm; Rin clung to Iris as the Cacnea reached over to Claire. Then, Grovyle pulled an orb out of his bag and flung it to the ground, causing a near-blinding light to fill the room.

Claire heard the sound of claws digging into the ground as the Sableye scurried around in confusion. The next thing she knew, the five of them were sitting in a rather large hole, with Grovyle flinging dirt back up over them. The light must have faded soon afterwards, as she could hear Dusknoir's muffled commands to search for them.

The Sableye's footsteps faded away after several minutes, and once Dusknoir's voice was no longer audible, Grovyle cautiously pulled at the ground above them. Peering back into the room, he gestured to Team Shadow, and they climbed back up after him.

"If you want to get out of here, you're going to have to follow me," he said. Felix started to protest, but Grovyle cut him off. "We have to be quick about this. There's no time for disagreements! It's a matter of life or death."

With that, Grovyle darted towards the still-open doors, Claire scurried after him, and the rest of the team followed her. Claire lost track of all the turns they took, too preoccupied with keeping up with Grovyle's fast pace. Felix and Rin were wheezing by the time they reached the final hallway, but they couldn't stop.

When they got outside, Team Shadow stumbled to a halt. The sky was a dull, dark blue-gray, with no sun in sight, and black clouds loomed overhead. Twisted trees cast long, sinister shadows while branches and boulders floated in mid-air.

"What…what is this?" Felix choked.

"We've got to get further away before I can explain," Grovyle answered.

"But…I'm so…tired," Felix panted.

"It's just a bit further. Hurry up!"

Claire offered Felix her paw as she followed Grovyle. They reached a small alcove, and Team Shadow instantly sank to the ground. Grovyle carefully peered around the cliff wall before turning back to the others.

"Is this really the future?" Claire asked.

Grovyle merely nodded in response. Honestly, there wasn't much else he _could_ do—and they'd all suspected it already. Still, that silent little nod somehow made it seem worse than a vocal response would have.

Rin looked around slowly. "So…why is it like this?"

"I don't think you all trust me enough for me to go into a full explanation," Grovyle responded curtly. "But I will say that it would be pointless to wait until morning to get going. There's no such thing as 'morning' here anymore."

"Wait, are you saying time's stopped?" Felix tilted his head to the side. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't stolen the Time Gears!"

Grovyle rested his forehead in his claw and closed his eyes. When he went on, it was clear he was trying very hard not to snap at Felix.

"Don't tell me you still believe Dusknoir's claims that I'm the villain. He just tried to have you killed, and you really trust him? I only took four Time Gears; that's not enough for the whole planet to be like this."

"Then what _did_ happen?" Iris demanded.

Grovyle looked them over carefully, as if he was considering telling them. Before he could say anything, Felix stood up shakily and started walking in the direction they'd just come from.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Grovyle shot Felix a glare, causing him to freeze in his tracks. Turning around, Felix answered him nervously.

"I-I'm going to go ask Dusknoir."

Grovyle took a few deep breaths before replying, "Fine. You think that's going to work? I'm leaving."

As Grovyle turned around, Felix called desperately, "Wait! You're not going to show us the way again?"

He was met with silence as Grovyle dashed away as quickly as ever. Felix sank back down to the ground, trembling again. For a few seconds, he was silent, and his voice shook when he finally spoke up again.

"W-what are we supposed to _do_?"

A heavy silence sank over the team. Claire tugged on the edge of her scarf as she attempted to think of a way to salvage the situation. There wasn't much they _could_ do, really. She was still processing the whole situation, but…there was one consistent thought lingering in the back of her mind.

"I think we should go after Grovyle," she said quietly.

"What? Why?" Felix cried.

"Well, he did save our lives back there," Claire explained. "And… he probably knows some way to get back. I mean, he came to our time somehow, right?"

Rin and Iris shared a hesitant look, but then they nodded. How they actually felt about Grovyle was unclear, but…they must have realized they had few other options. Felix looked between his three teammates frantically, and he shook his head in response.

"No way! I can't follow Grovyle. I'm going back there."

"But Felix," Claire tried. "I don't think Dusknoir will listen to us right now."

"He's better than Grovyle—"

He was cut off by a swift Needle Arm from Iris. Rin reached out and grabbed Felix as he tumbled over, giving Iris a surprisingly cool look. Despite having agreed with Claire, it was obvious she didn't approve the strike at Felix, either.

"Get yourself together!" Iris snapped. "Listen to your leader! Right now, Grovyle is our only chance to get back. We don't know anyone here besides him and Dusknoir, and Grovyle _isn't trying to kill us_ at the moment. What part of that do you not get?"

Felix held the side of his face as a large bruise formed on his cheek. His breath came out in small huffs, and his eyes were wide and watering slightly. Still, Iris's rant seemed to have done the trick, as he swallowed and nodded a second later.

"All right." Iris sighed and glanced over at Claire. "Now get up and let's go. Claire? Is that okay?"

Claire nodded silently, still surprised at Iris's outburst. She couldn't deny that they needed to get moving, though. Slowly, she stood up and glanced at the trail leading ahead of them. There was a cave up ahead, and they'd have to hurry if they didn't want the Sableye to catch up to them while they were wandering around in there.

"We can do this. Just stay together, okay?" she said softly.

The group proceeded in silence, the stifling atmosphere spurring them to walk as quickly as possible.


	15. Sour Reunion

**Author's Note:** Eh, this one ended up pretty close to the in-game segment it's based on, but I still had some fun with the characters here. Leaf's interactions with Rin and Iris being... well, Iris, are probably some of my favorite moments here. Anyway, let's get to the chapter itself.

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Sour Reunion**

Leaf found it convenient (albeit in a twisted way) that he'd ended up so close to the Passage of Time.

Granted, he'd just have to hope he'd get even luckier and find Celebi near Dusk Forest. That made him uncomfortable, as Celebi had already put herself at a big enough risk when she'd sent him back the first time. At least he was getting the chance to look for her at all, and that was more than he could've asked for.

Sighing, Leaf turned a corner in Chasm Cave, reminding himself how lucky he'd been to get out of the stockades alive. It was amazing the exploration team Dusknoir kidnapped had cooperated with him—but really, it was mainly Chimchar who refused to listen. Given how he'd fought them at Crystal Cave, Leaf hadn't expected _any_ of them to follow his lead, though.

As he exited the dungeon, Leaf frowned to himself, another thought crossing his mind. He'd started to mention it earlier, but the fact that Dusknoir had brought them to the stockade at all was bizarre. As far as he knew, they were just normal explorers, and Chimchar especially seemed to trust Dusknoir's lies… There was no real _reason_ for it.

Leaf shook his head as he approached Dark Hill. He should've known not to let himself get distracted. Yes, the situation was unfortunate, but he had things to do. He might help them if they caught up to him, but until then…

Leaf had to focus on clearing the dungeon, and it was even more difficult than Chasm Cave had been. Dark Hill was a long uphill climb riddled with Ghost-Types, as if to remind him of the Pokémon he was running from. Leaf instinctively growled at every Misdreavus he passed; Missy's presence at the stockade was still unnerving him.

That had probably been the point, Leaf thought sourly. Missy had likely just wanted to annoy him in what she thought would be his last moments.

Nonetheless, Leaf forced himself to focus on getting to Celebi. He had to get back to her and do things _correctly_ this time. It would hurt to explain the situation to her, but the quicker he could do this, the safer they'd _all_ be. Perhaps now that he had some experience with the past world, he'd at least be able to figure out some quicker routes to the Time Gears.

Leaf managed to feed himself such thoughts as he reached the Sealed Ruin. Given its proximity to Dusk Forest, he'd been close to the ruins a few times, but he'd never been inside before… And he hadn't heard a single good rumor about the place. It was the fastest route to the forest from here, however, so Leaf would have to deal with it. Gritting his teeth, Leaf darted through the ruin's entrance, keeping a close eye on his surroundings.

The one positive was that the cracked floors and large piles of rubble made for good hiding places. Leaf hated having to waste time hiding occasionally, but it was that or waste even _more_ time scuffling with the old temple's residents.

When he reached the final chamber, Leaf sighed and strode towards the exit. He paused halfway there; he swore he'd heard something… It wasn't just the atmosphere playing tricks on him either, he was sure of it. After a moment, he heard it again: a rather distinctive hissing sound.

There was someone else there.

Leaf shuddered and hurried towards the exit, hoping he hadn't been spotted. Before he could leave, a voice echoed out through the room.

"_Trespasser_… _We KNOW you're there_…"

"I'm not trespassing—I just need to get through here!"

Leaf edged closer to the exit, looking around wildly. As much as he wanted to leave, he didn't like the idea of something he couldn't see following him… Especially when it sounded like there was more than one Pokémon speaking.

"_No… You LIE to us, trespasser_!"

Leaf growled in frustration. "Please, I don't want to fight you! Just let me leave!"

Suddenly, a large, green-and-purple face sprung up in front of him. Leaf scrambled backwards, biting back a yelp. A Spiritomb, of course—Leaf berated himself for not noticing the Odd Keystone base earlier.

As Leaf tried to roll aside, the Spiritomb jumped towards him. The Odd Keystone dragged along several inches behind them, causing an eerie scraping sound. Leaf winced at the noise, and he was suddenly slammed to the ground as a loud gust of wind blew through the area. Spiritomb had probably just cast Ominous Wind, Leaf realized belatedly. He then choked as something rushed into his mouth and nose, and his limbs started to grow heavy.

"_Don't bother moving, TRESPASSER… You will PAY for disturbing us…_"

Spiritomb's voices echoed as they retreated. The Odd Keystone scraped across the floor again, and he cringed. Hearing it without seeing it just made it worse.

Grunting, Leaf attempted to move his arm, and a sharp pain shot through it. He winced and attempted to turn his head to the side, managing to just barely have a view of the chamber before it hurt too much to move. He caught a brief glance of Spiritomb's face before it vanished into the Odd Keystone, and it seemed to be smirking at him.

Leaf sighed, silently scolding himself again. He should have just run instead of trying to check the area… He should have known better than to assume that one of the future's Pokémon would actually listen to him. Leaf had always hoped otherwise, especially after encountering enough of the sane ones through the planetary investigation team. Still, he'd had plenty of firsthand experience with the wild packs before then.

And now, he just had to lie there and hope Spiritomb got bored with him before the Sableye caught up. Slow as they were, they did have decent tracking abilities; how long could Leaf last here?

After what seemed like an eternity, Leaf thought he heard voices again, and he lifted his head eagerly. Before he could see who was approaching, Spiritomb slammed his face back into the ground, and Leaf grunted in pain. The voices were getting closer, however, and they seemed awfully familiar…

"We've got to catch up with him soon. I mean, the path was pretty much straight…"

"He was pretty far ahead of us, though—whoa!"

The team of four had conveniently just arrived, and they'd clearly noticed Leaf. Spiritomb's hissing echoed through the chamber, and Leaf could hear them shuffling around nervously. Still, one set of footsteps seemed to be coming towards him—Meowth's, he thought—and he managed to lift his head up just enough to speak clearly.

"Keep…keep going," he groaned.

"And leave you here?" Meowth's voice was bewildered. "We can't—"

She yowled, and Leaf assumed the Spiritomb had startled her. Managing to turn very slightly, he saw that Spiritomb was right in front of Meowth, and the face had risen out of the Odd Keystone. The four new arrivals immediately split into pairs as the face leered at them.

"_Trespassers… You will REGRET invading OUR territory_!"

Spiritomb wasted no time summoning another Ominous Wind. While Chimchar, Cubone, and Cacnea were all blown backwards, Meowth merely grimaced and braced herself, pushing forward with a bit of effort. Leaf couldn't help grinning; the Normal-Type would have quite an advantage here.

Meowth's whiskers twitched as she shot a Thunderbolt directly at the Odd Keystone. As Spiritomb howled in pain, Meowth's three teammates pulled themselves to their feet, shooting her relieved looks.

While Leaf had noticed it to some extent during their fight at Crystal Cave, he now realized even more how well coordinated they were. Despite traveling in a group of four, they didn't slow each other down; their pairing tactic was simple yet effective. Cubone and Chimchar launched repeated Bonemerang and Flamethrower attacks, stunning Spiritomb from a distance, which allowed Cacnea and Meowth to move in with closer-ranged attacks.

Leaf watched in amusement as Cacnea fired off a series of overly-enthusiastic Needle Arms. She was doing the most damage of the lot, but she was willing to step back and allow Meowth to use the occasional Night Slash for the sake of throwing Spiritomb off.

Despite Spiritomb's valiant attempts at fighting back, facing four opponents was clearly something they were unprepared for. It had been easy for Spiritomb to overpower Leaf by himself, but they were taking too much damage too quickly to do the same now. Finally, after one too many direct attacks to the keystone, Spiritomb let out a frustrated shriek and fled.

The face retreated into the keystone again, and Leaf felt an odd rushing feeling in the back of his head as Spiritomb leapt away. Slowly, feeling returned to his limbs, and he managed to sit up as Meowth tentatively approached him.

"So…what happened?"

"What did you do to make that Spiritomb so angry?" Cacnea added.

"Nothing," Leaf grunted, wobbling as he tried to stand up. "You saw how quickly it attacked you. Many Pokémon are like that here."

"Like what?" Chimchar blinked in confusion.

"Driven crazy by the darkness and tension," Leaf answered simply, lurching as he tried to take a few steps. "Look, we need to get out of here before I can explain further. Did you run into any Sableye on the way here?"

Cubone shook her head, and Leaf sighed in relief. As he attempted to move forward again, he felt a paw on his arm, and he looked down to see Meowth trying to steady him.

"You really shouldn't be moving right now," she observed, "but we do need to get going. I don't mind helping you walk. It could be kind of fun, don't you think? Like a three-legged race!"

Leaf gave her a bewildered look as her teammates chuckled. Had Meowth honestly tried to pull a joke despite the situation? Still, he nodded and leaned down to let her support him.

He couldn't help thinking that it was just like something Claire would say, too. Yet again, the Meowth had done something to remind him of her… Leaf tried to shake the worry out of his mind as the group slowly exited the ruins.

They trudged in silence for a short time until Meowth suddenly stopped and squinted. Then, she gestured towards something she saw up ahead.

"I think there's a small alcove in those boulders up there," she said excitedly. "We can stop there and let you rest for a minute."

Cubone cocked her head to the side, wearing a confused look. "This whole time, you've been spotting things so easily…"

Meowth merely shrugged in response, trying not to let Leaf fall over at the same time. Well, he supposed her species tended to have good night vision… It wasn't surprising that she'd adapt so quickly.

Leaf was grateful when they reached the small area, and Meowth peered back around the boulders after letting him down gently. Soon, she seemed confident that there were no Sableye around, and Meowth sat down next to Chimchar and gave Leaf an expectant look.

"So…while we're waiting, can you tell us what's going on here?"

He paused, looking the group over carefully before responding, "You're willing to listen?"

Meowth, Cacnea, and Cubone all nodded in succession. Then, they turned to Chimchar, who was shifting uncomfortably. He nervously looked between his teammates and Leaf, biting his lip.

"Well, Felix?" Cacnea said dryly.

"Y-yes," he mumbled.

Leaf sighed. "All right. You probably want to know what I needed the Time Gears for." They nodded again, and he went on. "They're supposed to help prevent the planet's paralysis."

"Prevent it?" Cacnea repeated. "Okay, not saying I don't believe you, but time does stop in the area when a gear is removed, so…"

Leaf frowned. He'd expected Chimchar—Felix, he corrected himself—to be the one doing any interjections. At least Cacnea seemed curious rather than doubtful, however…

"Well, yes, that's right," he admitted. "That's a temporary thing, though. The gears are supposed to be taken to Temporal Tower, and then the flow of time is fixed. It's the collapse of the tower that caused the paralysis in the first place."

"But taking Time Gears _does_ stop time?" Felix replied, an oddly expectant look in his eyes.

Leaf kneaded his forehead for a moment before replying. "Look, as I said before, I only had four of them. There are many more than that, so taking the necessary amount to the tower wouldn't cause a paralysis on its own."

"So…what is this 'Temporal Tower' place, anyway?" Meowth puzzled. "You said it collapsing can cause time to stop, but the Time Gears are what keeps time flowing properly…so why do you need the tower?"

"You're close—it's the reverse of that," Leaf corrected. "It's Temporal Tower that controls the flow of time. The gears only work in their immediate areas, and they're meant to repair the tower if it gets damaged…which it did back in your time."

"Well, that's a bit confusing, but it makes more sense than before…" Cacnea folded her arms as she mulled it over. "Anyway, what you're basically saying is that you came back to get the gears so you could fix Temporal Tower."

Leaf nodded. "I'd love to tell you that Primal Dialga could just fix it himself, but—"

"_Primal_ Dialga?" Cubone had been silent for a while, but here she finally cut in. "I've heard stories about a Pokémon called Dialga, but not Primal Dialga."

Cacnea and Felix nodded in agreement. On the other hand, Meowth just looked confused. Leaf blinked; he wasn't sure if this meant she'd never heard of Dialga, or if her confusion was about something else completely. When she caught Leaf staring at her, she shook her head in embarrassment.

"Right, well, once the tower collapsed, Dialga wasn't exactly in the best shape, mentally or physically," Leaf noted. "That's why he's been unable to fix the tower. The lack of a proper flow of time has thrown him into such a state that all he cares about is self-preservation."

"So that's where the 'primal' part comes from," Cacnea muttered. "And if you came back to fix things, then what about Dusknoir?"

"That's not too hard to put together, is it?" Leaf laughed darkly. "You already know he was trying to stop me. He's one of Primal Dialga's agents, and he's working to keep this place as is."

"So—so you're saying he—" Felix stammered.

"He was working for Primal Dialga all along, yes," Leaf finished.

Meowth put a paw on Felix's shoulder as she shared a somber look with her two other teammates. After a short pause, she looked back at Leaf.

"That all makes sense, but the other thing we've been wondering is…well, how did you get back to the past in the first place?"

Leaf paused. They'd heard him out, and they even seemed to believe him, even if Felix still looked upset. Despite his previous annoyance with them, they'd made progress, and they certainly didn't deserve to be stuck here. It was safe to tell them.

"Have you heard of a Pokémon called Celebi? She sent me back."

The four of them nodded, though Meowth once again had a strange look on her face. Deciding to brush it off, Leaf slowly raised a claw to the rock wall beside him and pushed himself up. After he took a few careful steps, the team caught his lead and scrambled to their feet as well.

"We should get going, then," he continued. "We need to reach Celebi as soon as possible so the Sableye don't find her."

"You're sure she's around here?" Cacnea asked.

"Well…" Leaf shook his head, trying to deflect the worries that suddenly sprung to mind. "The passage she used to send me back is nearby. It's likely she'll be there."

Fortunately, Cacnea accepted that explanation with no further questions, and the group of five set out. They proceeded mostly in silence, which Leaf was grateful for; the less attention they attracted, the better.

Apart from Felix's constant glances over his shoulder, they also managed to keep up with him well enough. Leaf was impressed, but their quick adaptation was probably a byproduct of all the exploring they did. Regardless, he counted himself lucky they wouldn't have to slow down.

However, another action of Meowth's caught his attention after a short distance. Leaf wasn't sure if she'd been doing it the whole time, or if he just hadn't noticed, but Meowth was shuffling her paws as she walked. She seemed to be doing it unconsciously, as she blinked at him when she caught him staring.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"N-nothing," Leaf deflected. "That's actually a good idea. It'll make it harder for the Sableye to tell we've been here."

"Oh! That's true," Cacnea exclaimed as Cubone nodded beside her. "They'll know _someone_ was here, but they won't know it was _us_ if they can't see our footprints clearly, right?"

Leaf merely nodded, glad they'd accepted that explanation; it gave him time to puzzle over Meowth again. True, she appeared to be the team leader, so it was possible she thought quickly enough to come up with that on her own… But it was something that Michelle had told them to do every now and then back when she'd been alive. Claire hadn't done it every time they'd gone out, but…it was still something she'd done occasionally.

_'I'm getting distracted,'_ Leaf silently reprimanded. _'It's probably nothing.'_

Nevertheless, it struck him as strange that he thought of Claire so often when he saw Meowth. Her species, her tone of voice, her general attitude… They could be coincidences, but they seemed to have some kind of deeper meaning when put together.

Leaf shook his head, realizing his musings had carried him all the way to Dusk Forest's entrance. The team behind him was panting audibly, and he turned around to see that they looked just as tired as they sounded.

"We can rest here, but we can't dawdle," he said tersely. "I'll keep watch."

Leaf settled a few feet away from them as they gathered near the thick cluster of bent trees. His eyes narrowed instinctively as he checked the surroundings. True, he hadn't heard anything suspicious on the way, but the Sableye could blend into the shadows well.

He glanced over his shoulder when he realized his four "companions" were chattering amongst themselves. It seemed rude to eavesdrop, but Leaf hoped it wasn't anything too important. If they'd noticed something, he would've liked to know about it. Possibly they were just going over their previous conversation with him, and he shouldn't think too much about it, but…

Well, Leaf wished they would be a little quieter. They weren't loud enough for him to fairly call them out on it, but they'd be audible to anyone who was close enough.

Sighing, Leaf stood back up and started to walk over to them, nearly jumping when he saw Meowth was already standing. The other three rose as well, and Meowth looked surprised when she saw Leaf walking towards her.

"Are we almost there?"

Leaf nodded. "Just keep following me. It's not much further."

They lapsed into silence again as they followed him, dodging tree branches as they temporarily walked single-file. The path fortunately widened out soon, and they were able to spread out afterwards.

While Leaf had admired the team's ability to work together, he realized there was one disadvantage to traveling with such a large group. Going through Dusk Forest had been comparatively easy when Celebi had taken him, Claire, and Andrew through it before, yet traveling in a group of five instead of four was somehow more difficult. It wasn't that they were lagging behind, but the group was more noticeable now, and the forest's residents seemed more aggressive than they had last time.

Fortunately, they fended off their opponents well, but progress was slow at times. Cacnea in particular had a knack for attracting trouble, even if she seemed to be the physically strongest of the team, and she was disadvantaged against many of Dusk Forest's inhabitants. In particular, swarms of Mothim descended on her the instant she so much as stepped on a twig, which was always followed by Cubone spitting out Ice Beams faster than Leaf could track.

"Iris, you have to be more careful," Cubone scolded as they got closer to Dusk Forest's clearing; she'd taken the words out of Leaf's mouth.

"Well, _sorry_, Rin," Iris grumbled.

"Here we are," Leaf called moments later, ducking under a few particularly dense trees.

As the team tumbled after him, Leaf carefully observed the surroundings. Luckily, there weren't any signs that the Sableye had reached the clearing yet, but Celebi didn't seem to be around either…

"Celebi?" he said cautiously.

At first, there was silence. Then, there was a quick fluttering sound, and Celebi materialized in front of him. A small, disappointed smile spread over her face as she drifted down to him.

"So, you had some trouble, then?" she murmured, tapping him on the forehead teasingly.

Leaf shook his head. "Clearly. It wouldn't surprise you to hear Dusknoir followed us back, would it?"

"That _is_ a problem…" Celebi sighed. "I can see how—wait. You're alone, my dear?"

"Well, not entirely." Leaf snorted and jerked his head back towards his current companions. He knew what Celebi meant, but he didn't want to say too much in front of them. "But right now, we really need to get back…"

"Of course." Celebi nodded. "I don't think your friends want to stick around for much longer!"

The time-travel Pokémon giggled and flew over to the team as Leaf sighed. He wasn't quite sure he'd call them "friends" just yet, but at least Celebi was getting on track. He heard her introducing herself to them, and he spun around when Celebi gasped loudly.

From the look of things, she'd been about to fly back to the lead, but Celebi had stopped and turned back around. She was currently looking down at Meowth with a curious, wide-eyed expression. Meowth looked up at Celebi, equally confused.

"Is something wrong?"

"Your eyes look just like hers…" Celebi muttered. Fortunately, Meowth didn't seem to catch it, and Celebi raised her voice and replied, "It's nothing, dear! Come along; we'll get to the Passage of Time soon."

"Passage of Time?" Meowth repeated.

Celebi waved at them before speaking again, and they quickly fell into a travel formation. After they'd passed some of the trees, Celebi gave them a brief explanation.

"Oh, it's what I have to use for long trips through time," she explained. "It would be nice if it was a bit further from Temporal Tower, but it's the best we can do."

She then took the lead, and Meowth let Celebi go in front of her. Again, they fortunately realized they had to hurry, in no small part thanks to the fact that there were six of them now; it would be foolish to dawdle in such a large group. Leaf managed to bite back his irritation at that fact, knowing it wasn't their fault.

Surprisingly, the team's position shifted slightly as they wove through the forest. Iris was busily trying to flirt with Celebi, it seemed, and thus was near the front. Celebi, in her defense, was trying her best to ignore Iris and keep up her pace. Meowth was right behind them, with Felix practically attached to her shoulder. That left Rin walking near Leaf, and the Cubone quietly took in her surroundings as she trailed along.

Leaf realized with some annoyance that they weren't exactly inconspicuous; the situation wasn't helped by how loud Iris was being. Fortunately, the one good thing about the size of the group was that while they attracted a good deal of attention, they still dealt with fights well enough. Nonetheless, after one Aggron too many, Leaf wondered exactly how much longer it would take them to reach the Passage of Time.

Between skirmishes, Leaf couldn't help letting his mind wander to what Celebi had said about Meowth earlier. So she'd made the connection, too… It had to be a coincidence, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind. It occurred to him that he hadn't heard Meowth's name yet, but he was probably over-thinking the situation…

"You've been staring at her this whole time…"

Leaf jumped when he heard Rin muttering next to him. She gestured towards Meowth with her bone, and Leaf bit his tongue. Had he really been staring? He was starting to feel ridiculous.

"I, ah…it's nothing. She just reminds me of someone."

Rin shrugged. "Is that all? You were staring earlier, too."

Then, she looked away, and Leaf growled quietly. She was perceptive, but why was he getting so worked up over it?

Thankfully, Celebi soon called out, "Oh! We're here!"

They arrived on the plateau on the edge of the forest, and Leaf and Celebi diverted their eyes from the bright light of the passage. The four teammates, however, looked at it in awe until it made their eyes water, and they shared a sheepish look as Celebi eagerly fluttered towards it.

"Don't you worry, dears," she started. "It's quite simple to use, really—"

"That's quite enough of that."

Celebi froze as the familiar voice echoed through the dead air. Dusknoir moved out of the shadows to the side of the Passage of Time, seeming to materialize out of nowhere, and a few Sableye were beside him. As the group shrank back, several more Sableye scurried out of the forest path behind them; they were completely surrounded.

Felix clung to Meowth again as they looked around, and the group instinctively turned back-to-back. Grovyle bristled as he positioned himself between Meowth and Celebi, glaring at Dusknoir; the Ghost-Type had his arms folded and wore an irritatingly smug look on his face.

"This has gone on for long enough, wouldn't you agree?" Dusknoir went on. "You won't escape me again."

"I don't know how you managed to track us all the way here, but there's one thing you're forgetting, my dear," Celebi twittered. "It doesn't matter! As long as they're with me, they can't be captured!"

"Is that so?" Dusknoir merely sounded bored. "It's time to end these fantasies of yours, Celebi. You, in particular, must learn that those who try to alter history have no place in it."

"W-what does that even mean?" Iris snapped, shifting into a fighting stance.

She got nothing for her question except for a cold chuckle. Meanwhile, the Sableye seemed to be getting antsy; several of them were just as poised for battle as Iris was. It had already been clear that they'd have to fight their way to the Passage of Time, and now it was getting even more obvious.

Leaf glanced over his shoulder at the team behind him. They could probably handle the Sableye, at least if they stuck together … Celebi would have to focus on protecting the passage… So he'd have to deal with Dusknoir, it seemed.

"Does that really matter?" Dusknoir finally replied. "It's time for you to be eliminated."

"Run for the Passage of Time," Leaf hissed to Meowth. "I'll distract him and be right behind you. Celebi, hurry and open it for them."

Celebi and Meowth nodded. Raising his voice, Leaf stepped forward, preparing to strike.

"I don't think so, Dusknoir."

"Oh? I hate to break this to you, but you don't give me enough credit! Did you really think I came here with just the Sableye?"

The mouth on Dusknoir's stomach curled upwards into a smirk as a loud roar tore through the area. A pair of glowing red eyes were suddenly visible on the plateau behind the passage, and its light illuminated the form behind it. The ground shook as the massive form stepped forward, and another roar echoed out.

"What's—" Meowth started.

"P-Primal Dialga?!" Celebi cried. "Dusknoir, you—"

"_That's_ Primal Dialga?" Felix's eyes widened. "What…what should we do?"

For several long moments, the only audible sound was the cackling of the Sableye. Leaf bit his tongue, wondering why he hadn't expected this. But even if he had predicted Dusknoir would find them and take Dialga along, what could he do about it? Celebi had closed her eyes; she seemed just as blank on ideas as he did, and she was silently shaking her head.

"I don't think there's anything we _can_ do," Leaf muttered.

"We're just giving up?" Felix's voice quivered.

"Look, I'm sorry you had to be dragged into this, but…" A thought flashed through Leaf's mind, and he smirked as he faced Dusknoir again. "Wait! Dusknoir, you should know this doesn't finish anything! I wasn't alone when I went back in time, and you've only caught me."

A glimmer of hope flashed through Celebi's eyes. "That's right! Your partner is still back there in the past, isn't she?"

"Did you _really_ assume I didn't think of that?" There was a hint of amusement in Dusknoir's voice. "Did you not once stop to wonder why I dragged Team Shadow here?"

Leaf frowned, turning to look at them again. To their credit, they looked just as bewildered as he felt. Clearly, none of them had any ideas on the matter.

"Yes, I did wonder about that," Leaf replied. "Would you like to fill us in?"

The smirk on Dusknoir's stomach deepened. "Ah, well…I at least wanted to give you the comfort of dying together with your partner. Isn't that right…_Claire_?"

"What are you talking about?"

Leaf and Meowth blurted out their question at the same time. Meowth's eyes were wide, fear and confusion plainly plastered on her face, and Leaf felt his heartbeat speed up. Why hadn't he asked her name before? All of the other things he'd noticed about her, and now this—

Leaf mentally slapped himself. There was a more important point that he'd let himself miss, one that was quite obvious.

"You know as well as I do that my partner is a human, Dusknoir!"

"I-I am." Claire's voice cracked. "Or at least, I was—I don't remember much else, but…"

Leaf's breathing sped up as he looked at her. "But how? Why—"

Dusknoir's cold laughter cut him off. "You may deny it all you like, but that Meowth standing beside you is in fact your partner. Oh, it threw me off as well; I wondered why I'd heard nothing about a human traveling around when I was in the past.

"Then, I happened to stop by the Wigglytuff Guild, and there you were, Claire! Of course, I had no idea who you were then, and you had no memories of your past. But it was right after you told me your name that the guild received the news of the name of thief stealing the Time Gears. I found the two of you at the exact same time!

"All that was left was to find out which Time Gears Grovyle had already stolen and set some kind of trap at one he hadn't gotten yet. The lake trio, the guild, and yes, even you, Claire, were all willing to set my plan into motion."

Leaf flinched; his mistake at Crystal Lake sounded so much worse coming from Dusknoir. It didn't help that the fact that he'd seen Claire multiple times around the town square without knowing it was her was still sinking in. And now, the last bit of hope he'd had was completely shattered.

Claire was wildly looking back and forth between Leaf and Dusknoir. She seemed even more shocked than he did, and her three teammates had uncertainty showing in their eyes. Leaf didn't blame them; Claire's past had to be hitting them pretty hard.

"So, you see, Grovyle, you _have_ failed. And now, all these games you've been trying to play with me are over. You will all be eliminated here and now!"

The Sableye rushed towards them with no further prompting. Their cackling increased in volume as they raised their claws, rising to an unearthly shrieking sound. The group of six packed themselves together more tightly, clinging together hopelessly as the Sableye descended on them.

Somehow, over the din, one voice was audible. Of all of them, it was Felix's, much to Leaf's surprise.

"Grovyle! Claire! _Do something_!" he pleaded.

Claire's face had now gone blank with shock, and Leaf wasn't exactly thinking quickly at the moment either.

"There's nothing we _can_ do," he muttered.

"Celebi…" Felix's eyes shot towards her as he spoke. "Isn't there anything _you_ can do?"

"I could try sending us a few seconds ahead in time, but Primal Dialga would notice it, and—"

"_Just try it_!"

Felix's voice high-pitched and hysterical, and the Sableye had completely closed in on them. Resolutely, Celebi fluttered to the center of the group; she looked unsure, but they had no other choice. She had to at least try.

"Everyone, hang onto me!"

Immediately after reaching out to Celebi, Leaf felt the familiar rush of time traveling course through him. For a moment, the plateau blurred around him, and he could see the vague shapes of Dusknoir and the Sableye running around in confusion. Soon, however, there was a sudden crushing feeling and a loud shattering sound, followed by Primal Dialga's roar.

They collapsed in a heap right in front of the Passage of Time, and Celebi was panting in exhaustion. Dusknoir whirled around, gesturing towards them wildly.

"I knew Dialga would shatter our path," Celebi groaned. "Hurry, dears! Go!"

"But what about you?" Felix shouted.

"Don't worry about me, just go!" Celebi urged.

"There—don't let them get through—"

Dusknoir's commands were barely audible over the Sableye's yelling as Celebi ushered the group forward. She pushed them into the light one by one, and she gave a resigned smile as she looked at Claire and Leaf. Instinctively, Leaf reached out and grabbed Claire by the arm, and Celebi shoved the two forward together.

Then, all Leaf could see was the bright blue light of the passage. As they spun though it, Claire clung to him; whether she subconsciously remembered their last trip or if she was just scared in general was something he'd have to find out later. Leaf automatically tightened his grip on her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her to him.

"I'm not going to lose you again, Claire."

With that, Leaf's consciousness started to slip, and the last thing he felt before passing out was Claire's ever-tightening grip.


	16. Memories

**Author's Note:** Much shorter and more laid-back chapter this time, but, hey, we needed a breather. Anyway, I've always been pretty fond of this part of the game for various reasons. The sunrise scene in particular is one of my favorite moments for both Grovyle and the partner, so I took the chance to toss in a little backstory for Felix here.

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Memories**

Claire was vaguely aware that she was purring contentedly as she rolled over. She was lying on something warm, and the wind was gently ruffling her fur.

_Wind_?

After jolting up, Claire pressed a paw to her forehead and tried to quell her dizziness. As her vision focused, it became clear that she was sitting on the beach near Treasure Town—the very same place she'd first met Felix.

He was currently sitting a few feet away from her. Felix and Rin had woken up already, and the two of them were idly watching the sunset. Iris was stirring nearby, and Claire turned around to see Grovyle lying behind her. She realized with some embarrassment that her head must have been resting on his stomach.

He and Iris sat up near-simultaneously, and Iris groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Rin and Felix turned around at the sound, scampering over to the other three upon realizing they'd gotten up.

"Oh! I'm glad you guys are awake now…" Felix sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Well, it hasn't been too long, but…"

"Where is this?" Grovyle asked.

"We're not too far from the guild," Claire explained. "This is actually where I woke up after…what would have been our first trip, I guess."

She gave Grovyle an uncertain look; it was still sinking in that the two of them had been partners. In turn, he gave her a pitying look before he nodded.

There was a moment of silence, interrupted only after Iris folded her arms and got a cross look on her face.

"You know, speaking of the guild… I bet we can't go back there right now, huh?"

"What? Oh…right." Rin awkwardly looked over at Grovyle. "I'd love to go, but…"

Grovyle winced. "I apologize, but…is there any place we could go instead? We shouldn't stay out here in the open for much longer."

"Um…I know a good place," Felix mumbled. He awkwardly shifted from foot to foot instead of looking excited, however. "It's past Treasure Town, though, on Sharpedo Bluff."

"Well, it _is_ getting late…" Grovyle briefly cast his eyes over towards the sunset. "There will probably be fewer Pokémon around, so it'll be easier to sneak through Treasure Town. I've got a bit of experience with that."

He promptly started walking towards the path leading back to Treasure Town. Hesitantly, Team Shadow followed him, all casting nervous glances at each other. It felt strange having to sneak around in a place they were well-liked, Claire mused.

"The guild's recruits have usually finished up any errands by now—" Grovyle cut himself off, shaking his head. "But you probably already knew that."

Claire nodded. "So the crossroads should be safe for now?"

Grovyle nodded back as they approached the area. He peered around a nearby tree, and then darted towards the opposite side of the road. After they scampered over to him, Grovyle explained quietly as he started creeping forward.

"It would probably be safer to approach the bluff from this side of town." He paused, giving Felix a brief look. "You might want to put out your tail flame."

Felix nodded and did as told. As everyone else had, he caught the unspoken implication that his tail flame would have stood out amidst all the shrubbery.

While there were more shops on the northern edge of town, Grovyle's assumption proved correct. There were more places for them to hide, and there were more bushes and other plants to stop and rest under. While there were always at least a few Pokémon out in Treasure Town in the evening, as long as they crept by one by one and kept low, they could get through without notice.

They ran into a close call after diving behind Kangaskhan's storage. There was an unfortunately long line; it made sense, as many teams had items they needed to deposit after a day's exploration, but it also meant they had a greater chance of being spotted. On top of that, the team in the front of the line seemed to have a particularly large number of items to store.

Fortunately, one of the pair, a Clefairy, pulled the last few berries out of her bag and laid them on the counter. As Kangaskhan picked them up, Grovyle quickly turned to Team Shadow.

"All right, as soon as they leave—start running as soon as they turn around!"

Clefairy and her Jigglypuff partner waved goodbye to Kangaskhan, and the team behind them started fumbling through their treasure bags as they walked forward. Taking advantage of the precious few seconds when none of them were paying attention, Team Shadow scurried after Grovyle.

They breathed a collective sigh of relief upon reaching the bluff. The sunset had started to fade, alerting them that the trip had taken longer than they'd expected. After looking over his shoulder, Felix approached the large bush in the bluff's center.

Iris glanced around as well. "So, what exactly are you looking for?"

Biting his lip, Felix wordlessly tugged at the edge of the bush, revealing it to actually be a hollowed net. A rough set of stairs plunged into the ground, and Claire felt her eyes widen.

"We've been here so many times and you never mentioned that," she said, letting a grin creep onto her face.

"Well, um, let's go inside and I'll explain," Felix mumbled.

He scampered down the steps, and he was closely followed by the rest of the group. The bluff's "mouth" was quickly revealed to be a moderately-sized cavern, with a messily constructed bed of hay and a few other basic necessities strewn about. As everyone settled down, Felix scratched the back of his neck sheepishly as he looked at everyone.

"This is where I used to live before I joined the guild," he explained.

"I can't imagine you being comfortable living right over the ocean," Iris commented. "What did you do when it rains?"

"Well, I wasn't here very long," Felix muttered. "So it didn't matter too many times…"

Everyone else just shrugged. There was a short pause afterward, during which Claire felt her eyes tug towards Grovyle. He caught her gaze, and he shook his head as a small smile formed on his face.

"I worried about you while I was traveling, Claire. I'm glad you found a good group," he said absently.

"They _are_ pretty great, huh?" She grinned, and then paused. "Speaking of that…how did _we_ meet?"

Grovyle's expression was almost wistful, and Claire had to admit she was surprised to see the look cross his face. Even when they'd been working together to get back to the past, he'd barely looked at them with anything more than a neutral expression.

"You found me after my…" He paused, and then settled on, "Well, when I really needed somewhere to go. Your family basically adopted me."

"So…we were pretty close, then? Knowing that, it's kind of weird just calling you 'Grovyle'…" Claire laughed.

"I suppose it would be. My name is Leaf."

Claire's eyes drifted to the leaves on his wrists and head. Iris burst into laughter, and Claire couldn't help giggling herself. It seemed like a pretty obvious name, even if she felt bad for laughing. Rin and Felix merely blinked at the revelation, however.

"To be fair, I was still a Treecko when I got the name," Leaf added. "And to answer your other question, yes, we were. You needed me for your Dimensional Scream ability to activate, since it requires you to have a trusted partner around."

Felix looked mortified at this revelation. "But she had one just a few days after we met!"

"Why does that embarrass you?" Leaf cocked his head to the side. "Is Claire not important to you, too?"

"Well, yes, but…" Felix trailed off. "It's just…a little sudden, is all…"

There was a short silence, during which Rin and Iris had puzzled looks on their faces. Before Claire could ask what they were wondering, Rin piped up.

"They're called 'Dimensional Screams'? You never told us that," she commented.

"Oh, yeah… You guys went straight back to the guild after we helped Marill and Azurill, right? So you didn't hear Dusknoir call it that," Claire explained.

Leaf's eyes widened. "You told Dusknoir about this?"

"Yeah…" Claire sighed. "I guess that's how he figured out who I am, along with me telling him my name… I know, it sounds dumb _now_ to trust him, but he'd just saved our lives at the time."

"He did?" Leaf's brow furrowed.

Felix nodded. "We'd gone to look for this item for some friends of ours, and we were attacked by a group of Manectric and Electrike. We probably would have died if he hadn't shown up at just the right time."

"So we thought we could trust him," Claire finished.

"It's not your fault, Claire," Leaf replied, shaking his head.

Hesitantly, he put a hand on her shoulder, and Claire smiled at the gesture. Leaf settled down next to her after that, and Claire almost thought there was another embarrassed look on Felix's face. It vanished quickly enough, though.

"So… How did your plan work?" Iris asked. "I mean, we saw the future. I guess it would be pretty hard to play hero in a place like that, huh?"

"We used Claire's Dimensional Scream to locate the Time Gears," Leaf started. "Well, it ran in your family, actually, and your mother found the first one. There were a couple you both saw, and there was one you found all on your own.

"Anyway, as I told you before, the Time Gears fix the flow of time once they're taken to Temporal Tower. We had to find them first, though, and then we had to travel back in time to collect them."

"Wait, that's what the Dimensional Scream is supposed to do?" Claire frowned. "I've gotten plenty of them from things that have nothing to do with Time Gears."

"You explained it to me once, and it's _supposed_ to work the way it does here in the past," Leaf answered, shrugging. "Apparently, it only became that way due to the paralysis. For a while, nobody thought the ability even _existed_ because of that."

"Huh." Claire mused on that for a moment before going on. "Well, whatever the reason for that, I'm still glad Felix was the one who found me when I woke up. I mean, even if it was thanks to Dusknoir, I probably never would have found out what the Dimensional Screams actually were if I'd been alone somewhere…"

"How _did_ you two meet, anyway?" Leaf asked.

"It was…" Claire paused to think. "I remember waking up there on the beach, and my head really hurt… Then I noticed these—" she pointed to her scars and ear notch "—were bleeding pretty badly, so I tried to clean them up."

Felix winced. "With ocean water."

Iris, Rin, and Leaf wore identical surprised expressions. Claire laughed before she went on. It was pretty funny to think about it now, all things considered.

"Yeah, with ocean water. I didn't exactly have much of a choice. Anyway, that's when Felix saw me, and we joined the guild shortly afterwards. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I decided to just…see if it was any fun."

She grinned sheepishly, and Leaf appeared to be mulling things over for a moment.

"That's right; you and Dusknoir both said you'd lost your memories," he muttered. "So you wouldn't have known if you had a home or not."

"Why did that happen? And how did I get these, anyway?" Claire pointed to her scars again. "I mean, they were still bleeding when I first woke up, so I guess they would have had to have happened either during or right before we went back… But nothing happened the last two times we went through those portals."

Felix, Rin, and even Iris were watching intently as Leaf stopped to think again.

"Something…strange happened when we traveled back the first time," he replied slowly. "It was like there was something coming towards me, and you shielded me from it… Though I haven't precisely figured out what 'it' is yet."

"So…is that why I turned into a Pokémon?" Claire asked, puzzling over this new information. "And that's probably why we got separated, too."

"As for your second question, yes," Leaf confirmed. "I'm not sure exactly why the disturbance turned you into a Pokémon, but I guess it makes sense that you became a Meowth. Your mother's partner was a Persian, and you were pretty close with him, too."

Claire stopped to think about this again, nodding to herself. If she needed a partner, then her mother must have needed one, too, right? And maybe that had imprinted on her somehow, or…something like that. Then, another idea occurred to her.

"Oh! Could you tell me about my family, then?" Claire's eyes lit up. "You mentioned my mother a couple of times…"

Leaf looked away from her, eyes closed, and Claire frowned. Her three teammates all looked as confused as she felt; why was he pausing? Eventually, Leaf looked back at her, shaking his head.

"I'll tell you another time," he said quietly. "You've already had a lot of information thrown at you, and we need to get some rest tonight."

"We do!" Iris agreed. "I bet you wanna get started early tomorrow, huh? Though it'll go much faster now that you've got us to help you!"

Rin sighed at Iris's over-enthusiastic comment, but she nodded in agreement. It _was_ getting late, Claire silently admitted. Looking between the cave's "teeth," she saw that the sun had completely set by now.

"Yes, we'll have a lot of work to do, unfortunately," Leaf replied.

At this, Felix quietly got up and walked to a large barrel off to the side of the cave. He pulled out some hay, looking over his shoulder as he did so.

"For beds," he clarified. "The floor gets kind of cold…"

The rest of the group proceeded to help Felix set up some makeshift beds, and Claire yawned as she finished hers. As tired as she was, she really wished she could have asked Leaf some more questions… On the other hand, she didn't want to do anything to slow him down, either. They'd need to be able to wake up early the next day, and this time, they'd do their mission correctly.

Well, _she'd_ do things correctly, Claire thought as she drifted off.

* * *

Felix sat near the edge of the bluff the next morning, watching the sun rise. While he normally preferred sunsets, he'd spent too long in the dark future, and the light was absolutely beautiful. The gentle early-morning breeze helped; that was another thing he'd taken for granted before.

He shivered as his mind dwelt on the things they'd seen in the future. Beyond everything else they'd learned, it was surreal to think the world could ever be like that. And yet somehow it had been (or would be, or…something. Felix wasn't sure how to put it).

Suddenly, a shuffling sound snapped him out of his thoughts, and Felix tensed as he turned around. Fortunately, the culprit was Leaf and not one of Treasure Town's residents.

"Mind if I join you?" the Grass-Type asked.

After Felix shook his head, Leaf sat down beside him. They sat together in silence for a few moments, watching as a few more rays of light spread over the horizon. Felix looked over at Leaf, and he blinked when he realized Felix was staring at him.

"I-I didn't wake you up coming out here, did I?" Felix blurted out.

"Well…yes. Somewhat." Leaf shrugged. "I would have woken up soon anyway; I just wanted to be sure nothing happened."

"Oh."

Felix looked down for a second. The sentiment was appreciated, but it still felt strange. Leaf was the last Pokémon he'd expect to hear such a thing from; Felix had spent too much time thinking of him as a criminal.

But he'd been Claire's partner, even if she didn't remember him, and they'd been friends long before Felix had ever met Claire. He couldn't doubt her judgment, could he? Besides, she'd been working on the exact same thing, and surely his leader couldn't be wrong, could she?

"What are you thinking about?"

Felix jumped when he heard Leaf's voice again. The Grass-Type was giving him another hard to read look, something between concern and general curiosity. He bit his lip before replying.

"It's just…" he sighed. "It's so hard to believe. Claire's done so much for me, but I can't listen to both her and Dusknoir…"

Leaf's eyes hardened, and Felix backpedaled.

"I-It's not what you think! I _know_ Dusknoir was wrong now, but I spent so long thinking he was a hero. And Claire was with you, so…" Felix shook his head. "I wonder how different everything would be if Claire had stayed with you the whole time… Maybe it would have been easier for you."

"But it wouldn't have been for you, would it?"

The question stung; Leaf had picked up what Felix had left unsaid. He sighed, bending his knees up to his chest and resting his chin on them before going on.

"No. Sometimes I think I rely on her too much."

"She relies on you, too, you know. Think about it: she wakes up with no memories, and you were the first Pokémon to show her any kindness. It's no wonder she had a Dimensional Scream so soon after you met."

Felix smiled hesitantly. "I guess so. It's just… Lately, I've almost been feeling like she's been a replacement for my mother or sister or something like that…"

Leaf raised an eyebrow, and Felix took that as a cue to keep going, even if he felt awkward about it. He'd never even mentioned this to Claire herself, after all.

"Don't get me wrong, my family has always been really supportive of me, especially my dad's side… So maybe 'replacement' isn't the right word." Felix bit his lip again. "But I'm the youngest of six, and there are lots of explorers in my family, even among my siblings… I'm also right after my only sister, and my mom was really excited about having a daughter… So I've just always felt like I've had a lot to live up to.

"Then, when I met Claire, she was really nice to me right away. She was never too busy for me or anything… I'd always wanted to join the Wigglytuff Guild, so I could become as good at exploring as everyone else in my family, and I know I wouldn't have been able to do that if Claire didn't go with me."

Leaf paused for a while, looking at the sunrise again as he absorbed all that information. For a moment, Felix swore there was an almost worried look on his face, but it vanished quickly enough. What was that about?

"Hm… You know, when I first saw a sunrise…I thought to myself that Claire would love it. Of course, she doesn't remember that she 'shouldn't' have seen one before meeting you," Leaf murmured, clenching his claws slightly. "She didn't even get to enjoy it properly. But, listening to you…I realize Claire was my only 'light' of sorts while in the future. She has that effect on people, giving them hope when they wouldn't otherwise have any."

Felix nodded, and the sunrise grew brighter. It was nearly dawn; the rest of the team would be rising soon. To be honest, he was glad none of them were up yet. As strange as he'd felt telling Leaf about his family, Felix wasn't sure if he wanted anyone else to hear about it either.

A slight smile crossed Leaf's face, and Felix couldn't resist doing the same. It was hard to imagine how seeing a sunrise for the first time must have felt… But he thought he could come close, at least, after thinking about how much he'd missed the light while in the future.

"You know… Both my first sunrise and my first sunset made me realize how beautiful this world is. It strengthened my resolve to fix it. It's the things you take for granted that are the most incredible."

Leaf's musings were simple yet surprisingly profound, and Felix nodded in agreement. No matter how he'd felt about Leaf before, he thought he'd come to an understanding, and maybe they'd even made some sort of connection. And that was a start.

As morning fully arrived, Felix found himself sitting closer to Leaf, and he was relieved when Leaf didn't push him away.


	17. Starting Over

**Author's Note:** Lots of stuff going on this chapter, despite its length. While it's mainly Treeshroud Forest, I had some fun writing everyone's interactions before and after. I cut off just before actually entering the guild because I have something special planned for next chapter... but you'll see in a few days.

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: Starting Over**

Iris grumbled incessantly upon waking up that morning. She got nothing for her complaints but an exasperated look from Rin, who was currently helping Felix sort through their remaining supplies. In the meantime, Claire and Leaf were both examining Leaf's Wonder Map.

He looked up from the map, casting a confused glance in Iris's direction.

"She seemed so eager last night." He frowned, turning to Claire. "Is this normal for her?"

Claire nodded sheepishly. "Yeah, you'll get used to it. Iris isn't exactly a morning Pokémon… Anyway, where should we go first?"

"I got my first Time Gear here… I think it would be good to start there again."

Leaf gestured to Treeshroud Forest, and the map obligingly zoomed in on the area. He watched Claire contemplate the idea; she rested her chin in a paw as her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Well, you do have some experience with the gears' locations, but that's kind of far away," she pointed out.

"Exactly. It took everyone a while to notice that it went missing the first time because of its distance," Leaf clarified. "Besides, the sooner we get it out of the way, the better, and it has no guardian."

"So we can cause less attention?" Rin piped up.

She and Felix had finished dividing up their healing items, and she distributed them as she asked the question. Leaf nodded in response as he slipped the berries into his bag.

"Oh!" Claire's eyes lit up. "Makes sense to me. Felix? Iris?"

Felix nodded, and Iris mumbled something that _almost_ sounded like "yes" as she rubbed her eyes.

"All right!" Claire grinned. "Let's get going, then."

As the five of them headed towards the bluff's stairs, however, Claire cast Leaf an uncertain look. He put a claw on her shoulder, hoping his smile didn't look too awkward, before following Felix up the stairs.

They were doing this together this time, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

They'd left early enough that Treasure Town had been nearly deserted; even most of the shopkeepers hadn't been in town yet. This meant it was easy enough to reach the edge of town, but the trip to Treeshroud Forest was still long. While it was nothing that Team Shadow couldn't handle, the tension along the way was thick enough to cut through.

Leaf was relieved when they arrived. Last time, getting there had been the most difficult part; now, reaching the Time Gear seemed easy. However, Iris didn't seem to agree, even if she was wide awake now.

"Does something here feel…_weird_ to you?" She frowned, pausing before following everyone else into the forest.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"It's just…it didn't take us all day to get here, did it? But it looks pretty dark in there…"

Leaf hesitated. The shadows did seem too long, though it could've just been the thick canopy playing tricks with his eyes. He shrugged, beckoning to the group as he darted ahead.

"We'll be fine," he replied, though he was trying to convince himself as much as them.

"We do need to hurry," Claire agreed. "Let's just think of it like a race, okay?"

At the suggestion, Iris perked up considerably. She eagerly kept up with Leaf and Claire, while Rin and Felix kept a close watch from behind them. As long as they were all happy, Leaf didn't mind how Claire went about doing that, and a light smile crossed his face.

Still, he was glad that Claire had come up with a way to preoccupy her teammates for multiple reasons. The further they went into the forest, the more he thought that something _was_ off. It was too tense; the local Pokémon kept hissing shooting paranoid looks at the group of five. They seemed more aggressive than they had before, and there were more scrapes than Leaf was comfortable getting into. The shadows got longer and longer as well, and the forest itself seemed to be getting darker.

Leaf shook his head. He couldn't get nervous now, if only for the sake of keeping Claire and her friends upbeat. Nonetheless, they eventually realized something was wrong.

"You're shuffling again, Claire," Rin said softly.

Claire jumped at her teammate's voice, but she sighed and settled down a moment later. Leaf hadn't noticed it himself, despite having caught it when they'd been in the future together.

"I just… It feels like I should be." Claire looked confused. "Like when we were in the future…"

Leaf froze. That couldn't be it, could it? Now that he thought of it, the forest did feel like that. It was almost the exact same way it had been when he'd first taken the Time Gear…

"Wait…" Felix frowned. "Now that you mention it… But Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf said they'd put the Time Gears back, right?"

Leaf did recall hearing them say that right before Dusknoir had taken him to the future. That should've reversed the effects of him taking the Time Gears… So if the gear really was here, then it should've been fine.

"Yes. So everything should be all right," he replied. "We're almost there, so we've got to keep moving."

Team Shadow nodded, but they looked more worried than before. Clearly, they'd picked up on the forest's atmosphere more than Leaf thought they had… Claire and Iris were at least trying to look cheerful, though Rin and Felix were having less success.

When they finally reached Treeshroud Forest's final clearing, Leaf sped up. The faint glow of the Time Gear up ahead indicated that it was indeed there, and it was just as impressive-looking as it had been last time. Claire scampered up to Leaf, her eyes widening as she looked at it.

"I saw one of these at Uxie's lake, but…" she trailed off.

"You've never gotten quite this close, have you?" Leaf finished.

She shook her head. Before either of them could go on, Iris started grumbling audibly.

"Did it just start raining? I swear I just ran into something…"

Leaf raised an eyebrow. Turning around, he winced as he felt a few droplets slide off the leaves on his wrists and tail; he'd been walking so quickly before, he must have not noticed. Yet he hadn't _heard_ any rain start, either…

"Um… Look at this, guys," Felix called.

He was pointing at a nearby tree, and when Leaf squinted, he could make out a few raindrops falling off one of its lower branches. No, he corrected himself, they were _hanging there_ mid-fall. His eyes widened as Claire, Rin, and Iris all inhaled sharply.

"D-does this mean…time is still frozen here?" Felix asked quietly.

_That's_ what it had been. Leaf had been suspecting _something_ had been wrong the whole time… He nodded silently.

Iris scowled. "Hey! The Time Gear is where it belongs, so… Why?"

"I bet this means we don't have much time left…" Claire said, biting her lip.

"Yes… That's what I'd guess, too." Leaf sighed gustily. "If time didn't go back to normal here, Temporal Tower must be getting close to collapse."

"How long do you think we have, then?" Rin asked.

Leaf frowned. "I'm not sure. We'd better go on and take this one."

He walked over to the pedestal and carefully picked up the Time Gear. Out of the corner of his eye, Leaf could see Felix flinch as the teal light faded from the area. He paused before putting the gear into his bag, feeling uneasy as he faced the rest of the group.

"We should hurry back to the bluff," he said. "We need to decide carefully what we're going to do next."

"Yeah…" Claire nodded. "Let's go!"

Leaf placed a claw over his bag for a moment, trying to reassure himself as he felt the Time Gear again, and hurried after Claire as she left the clearing.

* * *

Claire sighed when she hurried into the bluff. It had taken them longer than expected to get back, despite leaving from Treeshroud Forest immediately. It had partly been due to the fact that Treasure Town had been bustling with activity when they'd arrived, so they'd had to take great care to sneak past everyone.

Still, the trip had altogether taken a full day, and even she was getting tired by that point.

"Isn't there some faster way to do this?" Iris groaned. "Did all the Time Gears take you this long to get last time?"

She laid down on her stomach, peering up at him over her folded arms. Leaf sat down as well, frowning. Maybe she could've put that better, but Iris had a point.

"I didn't exactly have the luxury of being able to consult with a group," he pointed out. "So while I have a map, I was unable to come up with some 'quickest route' to all of them."

"Where _did_ you get a Wonder Map, anyway?" Claire wondered. "I thought those were guild-issue only."

"Ah… When I first got to Treasure Town, a Skorupi I met gave it to me," he explained. "She said she got it from someone who was on an exploration team. Anyway, we do need to come up with some kind of plan now, so if you all don't mind…"

Claire nodded. "Of course! We could probably help you come up with some quicker routes, too. Which one are you thinking of getting next?"

"Well, there's one around here that wasn't too hard to get last time…" Leaf gestured towards the southern portion of his map. He then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "However, I think it would be best if we split up for now."

"What?" Iris blinked. "Why?"

Claire felt her stomach sink. Somehow, the idea of splitting up intentionally seemed so much worse than doing it on accident, despite everything that had happened last time… Leaf quickly caught the look on her face and went on.

"It's just…we need to look for Temporal Tower," he clarified.

"Right." Felix nodded. "You said we have to take the Time Gears there…"

Rin blinked. "You need to look for it?"

The phrasing did seem odd, Claire realized. Leaf cringed, causing everyone to look at him in confusion.

"Let me rephrase that. We knew that Temporal Tower is in a place called the Hidden Land, but that's all. It's the Hidden Land that we need to find."

"Oh." Claire folded her arms. "Did we have any clues about where the Hidden Land might be?"

Leaf shook his head. "That's the problem. According to Celebi, no one has ever been able to figure out where the Hidden Land is, at least in relation to anything else."

"But how…?" Rin puzzled.

"Temporal Tower is too powerful to be somewhere easily accessible," Leaf explained. "However, if anyone has any leads on where to look, it would be the guild's members, don't you think?"

"That's a good idea!" Claire agreed. "Chatot knows all kinds of things. Even if he doesn't know where it is specifically, I bet he's at least heard some rumors about it."

"Do we really have to go talk to Chatot so soon after getting back?" Iris groaned.

She rolled over onto her side, facing away from Claire and sulking. Claire laughed as Leaf gave Iris a confused look.

"It's a long story," she said. "Anyway… Come on, everyone. Even if they _don't_ know anything, it would be better to have help looking, right? And they're probably worried about us…"

Iris sighed, Rin nodded, and Felix smiled apprehensively. While they were probably worried about just "magically" showing back up at the guild, Leaf had a point. And as much as Claire hated the idea of splitting up with him, the apprentices would be more likely to believe them if he wasn't there.

"We should spend some time getting ready, then," Rin pointed out. "We'll be able to get more supplies after we go to the guild, but we should make sure Leaf has enough."

Claire nodded. "Also, if we wait until around dinner time, we can be sure everyone will be there." She paused before turning to Leaf and adding, "How will we keep in contact with you, though?"

Closing his eyes, Leaf groaned and rested his head in a claw for a moment. It seemed he hadn't thought of that. Fortunately, he came up with something soon enough.

"We can leave notes here," he replied. "It should be easy for you all to come back and check every once in a while, and I've gotten used to sneaking around enough that it shouldn't be too difficult for me, either."

Claire nodded. "That makes sense. Now let's rest up for a little while, shall we?"

Everyone gave agreements of varying enthusiasm—with Iris being the most eager for rest—and Claire felt relieved as she laid down.

* * *

Claire was slightly cold when she stirred a few hours later. Stretching, she looked towards the middle of the room. Felix had stayed up to light a fire in the cave's center, but it had apparently gone out while they'd slept.

She then looked towards the mouth of the cave, trying to guess the time from the bits of sky she could see. It wasn't quite sunset yet, but the sun was getting lower in the sky… They'd have to leave soon.

Leaf was sitting near the cave's teeth; he was the only other one awake. Claire slowly walked over to him, and he looked up as she sat down next to him.

"Are you all right?"

"I think so," she sighed. "It's just…everything would have been so much simpler if we'd just thought of asking you what you were doing before."

"Hindsight is everything, you know," Leaf replied. "You had no reason to think about asking me."

'_Because of Dusknoir'_ went unspoken, but Claire couldn't help thinking it anyway. And that thought caused something else to occur to her. She frowned, resting her elbows on the stalagmite in front of her as she leaned forward.

"What if Dusknoir comes after us again?"

"Worrying isn't like you, Claire," Leaf chided, though he rested a claw on her back gently. "We'll have to think about that at some point, but that's for later. Right now, we just have to focus on our mission."

They were silent as a light breeze blew over them. Then, Claire nodded as her usual grin returned to her face.

"Yeah…you're right," she admitted. "And I really am excited about seeing the other apprentices again."

Leaf gave her an encouraging look before turning towards the rest of Team Shadow.

"Good. Let's wake the others and get going, then."

They gently shook the three awake, and Rin and Felix got up immediately. While Iris grumbled again, she woke up considerably more quickly than she had yesterday morning. Once they were finished stretching and collecting their bags, they gathered near the stairs.

For a few seconds, they looked at each other in a nervous silence. Then, Leaf gestured to them and hurried up the stairs.

"Let's go."

It was abrupt, but there really wasn't much else to say. Fortunately, it was late enough that while there were a few teams around Treasure Town, there weren't _too_ many. Sneaking towards the crossroads didn't take very long, but Claire still felt relieved when they reached the guild's staircase.

"So…we're ready?" Iris asked.

"We all know what to do," Leaf confirmed. "Don't worry about me. Good luck!"

"Yeah…" Claire bit her lip, but then grinned again. "Good luck, Leaf."

She flung her arms around him, and Leaf stiffened awkwardly. It was honestly kind of funny, the clumsy way he returned the gesture and patted her on the head. Claire supposed he didn't seem like the overly-affectionate type, but she couldn't help giggling when Leaf finally pulled back and fled the area.

"Aren't you two just adorable," Iris teased.

"Let's just go," Felix mumbled.

The four of them collectively took a deep breath and started walking up the steps. For some reason, the grate in front of the guild's entrance looked more ominous than usual; Claire could understand how Felix had been afraid of standing on it once. Before she could talk herself out of it, she grabbed her teammates and stepped onto the grate. Claire heard Felix's breathing speed up, and she couldn't help wondering what was taking Diglett so long…

Finally, she heard Loudred's voice, though just barely.

"Diglett? WHAT are you DOING? If there's no one THERE—"

"There's… There's… Visitor detected! Visitor detected!"

"Ugh… At THIS time of day? Who IS it?"

"It can't be… But it looks like…Chimchar… And I think Meowth…and…"

"Hey! DIGLETT?"

There was silence from the tunnel for a few seconds, leaving Loudred shouting at nothing. Then, Diglett burst out of the ground in front of them, causing Felix to jump in surprise. Diglett's eyes widened as he looked at them, and Claire have him a hesitant smile.

"Uh… hi?" she said.

"It's them! It's Team Shadow!"

At Diglett's statement, the gate covering the guild's door rattled open. Not a moment later, Team Shadow was practically stampeded by the recruits; the first ones out were Bruce, Team Lightning, and Bidoof, followed closely by Sunflora, Corphish, and the others. Their voices were barely distinct from each other as questions flooded out of their mouths.

"How—when—we thought you—"

An irate squawk pierced through the noise, and suddenly Chatot was shoving recruits out of the way to make room for Wigglytuff. The apprentices silenced as Wigglytuff paused, looked at Team Shadow, and broke into a grin.

"Welcome back!"

It felt official at his greeting, and Claire beamed as he led the team inside.


	18. Companions

**Author's Note:** Hey, remember Bruce? Well, here's what he was doing while Team Shadow was in the future. I always did wonder how any Pokémon you'd recruited would be feeling while you were gone for who knows how long, after all... Also, I get to have some fun at Sydney's expense here (sorry, not sorry, Sydney), and Claire's amnesia actually gets mentioned to the guild members (since that's another thing the game was ambiguous on). Anyway, enough rambling before this gets as long as the actual chapter; here you go!

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Companions**

How long had it been now? Bruce wasn't sure. It had to have been at least a week, maybe two. Maybe it was even more than that—he was having a hard time keeping track of the days now.

Bruce felt kind of ridiculous. He hadn't known Team Shadow nearly was long as everyone else had… Did he really have the right to be this upset about their disappearance?

Still, he felt…almost responsible in a way. It had happened just a day or two after he'd joined them, after all. Bruce knew it might've still happened either way, but if he'd gone up there with them, he'd at least know where they _were_.

The future…how did one even get there, anyway? (Well, apart from the obvious "days passing one at a time" thing that happened to literally everyone.) And exactly what point in the future had they gone to? Nobody was sure how to find Team Shadow, even if they had a way to get there in the first place.

For the first day or two, no one had been sure how to react. The other apprentices had sat around in a rather confused way, whispering to each other about what they should do. It didn't help that they were kind of awkward around Bruce, either. Sure, they were all nice, like Claire had said, but no one knew what to say to him. And that made it worse, really.

"Like…Glameow," Sunflora finally said. "It's okay if you don't want to do anything, you know? Chimecho usually does cooking duty, so maybe you could just help her with that if you want?"

"No, it's fine," Bruce lied. "My team usually did rescue missions and stuff, right? I'll take care of that."

Saying "my team" did make him feel better, if only a little. Maybe having something to do would help even more. The next morning, Chatot sighed and finally cleared him for exploration duty, but the bird stopped him before Bruce could head up the ladder.

"Glameow…do be careful, all right? Just…watch what you're doing. …That's all."

Was that a hint of concern in Chatot's voice? Bruce wanted to think it was. He simply nodded in response before heading upstairs.

…Well, he probably wouldn't be able to handle more than one job on his own. Maybe two if he was lucky. Sighing, Bruce reached up with the tip of his tail and plucked a request off the board. Some poor Torchic had gotten lost in Mt. Bristle. He could do that, right?

Right. After a bit of preparation, he was off.

* * *

The next few days passed slowly. They kind of blurred together, honestly, which didn't make sense when Bruce thought about it. He had jobs to do, and he wasn't bad at them by any means. The other guild recruits let him eat dinner with them every day, and he was allowed to stay in Team Shadow's room. Everything was going fine, all things considered.

But Bruce still felt…_off_. Listless. He should be doing _more_.

More at the guild, more to find Claire and the others, more…_something_. Bruce wasn't sure.

He fell asleep with a nagging feeling in the back of his mind, unsure of how to fix it.

* * *

"Hey, I think someone should talk to Bruce," Heliona announced.

Sydney sighed. "Really, you think we don't know that? But…what is there to say?"

Leon nodded silently. The three of them were currently sitting in their room after dinner, and Heliona had just poked her head out of the door. She hadn't left, but it was obvious she'd been looking in the direction of Team Shadow's room. Huffing, the Fire-Type turned around and strode towards her teammates.

"I don't know! But, come on, he's been taking it the worst out of everybody," she replied. "I mean…I really miss Claire and everyone too, but…"

The Vulpix trailed off, and Leon and Sydney exchanged glances. She'd taken it pretty badly at first, too, even if she wasn't admitting it aloud. After looking between his teammates for a few seconds, Leon finally piped up.

"I think Sydney should."

Sydney stared at him. "What? Why me?"

The Shinx shuffled around awkwardly before replying, "Well, you know… I'm not really the best at saying things all the time, and…um, sorry, Heliona, but neither are you."

It was just for different reasons. Still, Heliona didn't seem offended by the remark. Instead, she just sighed and shook her head before looking at Sydney again.

"He's right, you know," she admitted. "You wanna go now or tomorrow?"

"Fine," he sighed. "I'll go now."

The Absol padded over to the door, carefully glancing around the hallway. No one had felt up to the nightly meetings lately, and he didn't know if Chatot would get snappy at anyone being out this late without that as an excuse. Once he was sure it was safe, Sydney went out and headed towards Team Shadow's room.

Bruce was sitting by the window, staring outside. He wasn't sure if the Normal-Type had heard him or not, and Sydney cleared his throat. When Bruce jumped, Sydney took it to mean that he hadn't been paying attention after all.

"Hey," Sydney greeted awkwardly. "Are you doing all right?"

"…No," Bruce mumbled. "But it's fine; you don't have to worry about it. I mean…I'm sure everyone else misses them, too, right?"

Sydney was quiet for a while. He walked over to Bruce, sitting down and glancing out the window as well. Honestly, he wasn't very good at emotional things—that was what happened when his default response to everything was sarcasm, he supposed. Still, he had to say something, didn't he?

"Mm." Sydney nodded. "I know Heliona, Leon, and Bidoof do. But that means it's okay if you miss them, too, doesn't it?"

"I…I guess so." Bruce sighed. "I just wish there was something we could _do_ about it." He paused, then there was a quiet, "What if they don't come back?"

Sydney cringed. That question had been hanging over the whole guild for the past week or so, even if no one wanted to say it aloud. He'd almost said it once or twice himself, but wondered if it would sound too mean coming from him. There…really wasn't a good answer to that, was there?

Eventually, he settled on, "I'm sure if there's a way to come back, they'll figure out how to do it. There has to be some way, doesn't there?"

Grovyle had come back from the future, after all; so had Dusknoir. (Even if Dusknoir was the reason why the rest of Team Shadow was missing. No one had figured out what _that_ was about yet, though. And no one really wanted to mention it, either.) They just…kind of had to hope that Team Shadow figured out how to do it, too.

Finally, Bruce nodded and said, "Yeah. I'm sure you're right. Thanks, Sydney."

He smiled and brushed his head against Sydney's shoulder before padding over to his bed. Sydney stood there for a few seconds, eyes widening. Goodness, he was bad with physical contact, too, even if Bruce probably hadn't meant anything (other than general gratitude) with the gesture.

"Well…good night, then, I guess," Bruce said as he curled up into a ball.

"Er…yes, good night," Sydney mumbled. "We can…come see you tomorrow, if you want."

He thought he heard something like an _"okay"_ as he bolted out of the room. Once Sydney returned to Team Lightning's room, he cleared his throat and looked at his teammates. Heliona blinked, and then burst into giggles.

"You're blushing!" she sang.

"I am not!" Sydney snapped. "Now, I do believe we need to go to bed. You know Chatot will kill us if we're late to the morning briefing!"

Leon looked confused at the whole exchange, but he shrugged and laid down on his bed. Heliona was still giggling as she curled up as well, shooting another glance at Sydney. He pointedly turned away from her as he sat down, ignoring her teasing remarks.

Unlike her, some Pokémon cared about getting enough sleep, after all—and Sydney insisted that he was one of them.

* * *

Sydney's sort-of pep talk really had helped. Bruce wasn't the only one who was worried, and that made him feel less alone. They still didn't know what to do, but…that was something.

(Still, he found himself sneaking out of his room to sleep with Team Lightning for the next few days. Being alone at night just made him feel worse, after all. And if Chatot knew, he didn't say anything about it, which Bruce appreciated as well.)

And then, just before dinner one night, everything changed.

Diglett usually spent a few minutes at the sentry tunnel each evening, just in case anyone showed up late. And, even when Chimecho said that dinner was ready, he didn't come back into the basement. Loudred proceeded to shout down the tunnel at him, and he finally got a response from the Ground-Type.

"Diglett? WHAT are you DOING? If there's no one THERE—"

"There's… There's… Visitor detected! Visitor detected!"

"Ugh… At THIS time of day? Who IS it?"

"It can't be… But it looks like…Chimchar… And I think Meowth…and…"

"Hey! DIGLETT?"

There was the faint sound of chattering above them, and Bruce held his breath. What if it was—

"It's them! It's Team Shadow!"

_They were back_. Bruce bolted for the ladder, and everyone else stampeded out around him. There, in front of the grate—

Claire was grinning, her eyes watering slightly, and she was surrounded by Felix, Rin, and Iris. It really _was_ them. They were home.

* * *

"What _happened_ to you guys?"

The question had been popped immediately after Team Shadow had gathered in the guild's basement. And their response certainly had been…something. They'd relayed everything that had happened after they'd fallen—no, _been dragged_—into the Dimensional Hole. The truth behind Dusknoir's actions, what the future was like, and Grovyle's real motives; all of it had come out.

It was…a lot to take in at once, honestly. But it made an uncomfortable amount of sense, Bruce thought. It would explain why Dusknoir had taken them with him, and his description of what the hypothetical bad future would be like was chillingly similar to what Claire had described. And…sure, he hadn't known them as long as everyone else, but Bruce didn't think they'd lie about something like this.

Still, the silence was so complete that one could hear a pin drop. The guild's recruits looked hesitantly between each other; no one knew how to respond to that. Suddenly, Chatot burst into spontaneous laughter, and the entire assembly jumped in shock. It would have been jarring even if it _hadn't_ been from the usually-serious bird.

"Please," he gasped, catching his breath. "What part of this story is remotely plausible? Dusknoir is a villain, and _Meowth_ here worked with _Grovyle_? Do go on!"

"I…what?" Claire blinked.

"Are you saying we're lying?" Iris demanded.

"Oh, no, certainly not! You must be…confused, that's all," Chatot went on, waving a wing dismissively. "So why don't we try to sort out what actually happened and…"

"Look," Iris exploded. "We _know_ what we saw! We nearly died, and you're telling us we're making stuff up?" The spikes on her wrists glinted and stuck out a bit further as she stepped forward. "You're just going to blow off the fact that the world's in danger? If you don't believe us, you can go look in the places where the Time Gears are, and—"

Claire and Rin grabbed Iris by the shoulders before she could launch the Pin Missile. Her needles settled down, but she was still breathing heavily, and Chatot was giving her a stunned look. There was silence again for a few seconds before Bruce finally spoke up.

"Um… No one here thinks you lied."

He stepped forward, and a small smile had crossed his face. Yes, he'd decided to believe them. Claire looked at him in surprise as he walked forward and sat down next to her.

"Oof… He's right, by golly!" Bidoof suddenly added. "I reckon you're telling the truth!"

"We believe you too!" Heliona shouted, and Leon and Sydney nodded in agreement.

"Oh my gosh! I totally believe you guys!"

"Hey, hey! I do too!"

Chatot squawked as the rest of the apprentices burst into agreements, and he wildly looked around at them. The recruits swarmed around Team Shadow again, and it wasn't long before Claire matched Bruce's grin. It didn't last long, though; Chatot cut in irritably as he waved the recruits out of the way.

"Look here!" Chatot glared. "Even if their tale made _any_ sense—_which it doesn't_!—why in the world would Meowth take so long to tell us this?"

"Oh." Claire looked down at the floor. "I…didn't remember any of it. The first thing I remember at all is…waking up on the beach a few hours before we joined the guild…"

"WHAT? Are you saying you have AMNESIA or something?" Loudred demanded.

Bruce cocked his head to the side as he looked at her. She'd never mentioned that to him before; then again, maybe she just hadn't had the time to do it. The rest of the recruits murmured amongst themselves as Claire nodded. A smug expression formed on Chatot's face as he went on.

"So then how do you know that any of what Grovyle told you is true?"

"I guess I don't," Claire admitted. "But I…"

"That's enough from silly Chatot!" Wigglytuff interrupted. "He's just testing you!"

"_WHAT_?!"

Bruce blinked, and the rest of the recruits had stunned looks on their faces. Now the situation was just getting surreal…

"He just wanted to make sure everyone believes you!" Wigglytuff grinned; he didn't seem to notice that Chatot was scowling at him. "We're going to do whatever it takes to help you. Right, friendly friends?"

"_YEAH_!"

The recruits collectively let out another cheer. Chatot shook his head and covered his face with a wing, but no one paid him any attention. Instead, they were all chattering excitedly about what they should do next.

"We did it," Felix choked. "They believe us—"

Suddenly, his stomach growled loudly, and everyone stopped talking. Iris, Claire, and even Rin followed suit, and Claire burst into giggles at Rin's embarrassed expression. The mood had been killed, but the other apprentices started laughing, too, and it didn't matter anymore.

"You came back at just the right time," Chimecho said gently. "We've got four seats at the dinner table that have been empty for too long."

Everyone stampeded into the kitchen with no further prompting. As Bruce settled down at the table next to them, it finally sank in that they were really home. And now, even with the dire news they'd delivered, it felt like everything would be okay.


	19. Cooperation

**Author's Note:** We know how the late-game went from the hero's point of view, so here's what Grovyle was doing in that time. I've always wondered how the guardians reacted to him the second time around; I'd imagine it's much better, for the most part. Of course, I do needlessly torment Ditto here (though this _is_ something I vaguely alluded to back in the Limestone Cavern chapter), and Azelf is a tad awkward, though this was quite fun to write nonetheless.

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Cooperation**

Leaf wasn't sure how to feel when he arrived at Limestone Cavern.

It wasn't because he'd had to fight through the other dungeons on the way again; they had been easier this time by virtue of experience. Rather, it was because of how Leaf had left the guardian last time. Sure, he'd found it convenient then, but…

Sighing, Leaf entered the cavern. After Treeshroud Forest, at least he'd expected the area to be paralyzed. That was…well, not really a comfort, but something he could plan for, anyway.

Leaf hurried through the dungeon, avoiding fights as much as he could. It was difficult, considering how badly the sort-of paralysis was affecting the area's residents… Despite the comparatively short time that time had been stopped here, the Pokémon were already much more aggressive than they'd been before. That was another reason for Leaf to make sure he did things correctly now.

He allowed himself a short break upon reaching Limestone Cavern's branching area. Fortunately, Rin had packed him a good deal of Oran Berries, and he sat down to catch his breath as he ate one. Claire really was lucky, he mused, to have met such good teammates. They hadn't had much left back at the bluff, but they'd been willing to give him most of it, anyway.

Soon, Leaf stood up and passed through the false wall again. He was having a harder and harder time sneaking past the cave's residents the further he went, and he got some particularly large bruises from an angry Dragonair late in. Really, he was lucky Limestone Cavern was a fairly small dungeon. That gave him fewer chances to get into fights by default, and he was still pushing himself too much.

When he reached Ditto's chamber, Leaf felt his heartbeat speed up… He didn't know what he would see. Slowly, he walked forward, and his stomach hitched when he reached the back of the room.

Ditto was frozen in place in the same area Leaf had last seen him. His formerly bright-pink skin had a dull hue to it now, and he was so stiff that Lead would've assumed Ditto was a statue if he didn't know better. At least Ditto must've had the time to eat the Oran Berry Leaf had offered him, as the guardian's injuries were all healed.

"I'm sorry," Leaf said quietly. "You probably can't hear me, but…"

Suddenly, there was an odd gleam in Ditto's eyes, and he seemed to be looking straight at Leaf. Had his eyes just moved? Leaf inhaled sharply; despite being frozen, it was possible Ditto was still conscious.

"_Can_ you hear me?" he asked hesitantly.

Ditto's eyes shifted again; his barely-distinguishable pupils moved to the side before focusing back on Leaf. Biting his lip, Leaf looked away before going on.

"I owe you an explanation, I suppose," Leaf murmured. "Have you heard of Temporal Tower? I need to take the Time Gears there to…fix the tower. Things will go back to normal here once I've been there. I promise you that."

Ditto's eyes shone with tears that were unable to fall. As he walked away, Leaf had to close his eyes. _His fault_—even though Leaf knew that blaming himself wouldn't help.

When he entered the far chamber, the Time Gear was sitting uselessly on its pedestal, just like the one in Treeshroud Forest had been. Leaf sighed as he picked it up and put it gingerly into his bag. This time, there was no rumbling, no fear of being frozen, and no swarm of panicking Pokémon, but Leaf almost wished there was. It would have been preferable to the way the cavern was _now_…

Before he could berate himself any more, Leaf fled the cavern, more motivated than ever to finish his mission.

* * *

Out of the three lakes, Fogbound Lake was the closest, and Leaf immediately set out for it. The trip was still long, but at least now he wasn't stopping back at Treasure Town each time he collected a gear… That helped a little.

And he'd come to expect the temporary paralysis, even if he didn't like it. When Leaf arrived at Foggy Forest, there was a dull, grayish tint in the air that he knew couldn't be fog; time had stopped shortly after he'd lifted it. Frowning, Leaf proceeded through the area as quickly as possible.

Leaf couldn't help sighing gustily when he reached the clearing. While it wasn't as bad as its future counterpart, the waterfalls were stopped in place and the sky was somewhat dark. He couldn't let it get any worse.

Steam Cave's residents were more aggressive than they'd been the previous time, too. Not that Leaf blamed them, but it made getting through the dungeon more difficult than it had been before. When Leaf reached the midway point, he was nursing a rather nasty gash he'd gotten from a wild Yanma, and Leaf cursed silently as he paused to eat an Oran Berry.

He dreaded reaching the top, knowing what awaited him… However, when he arrived at the plateau, Leaf stood there in complete silence for a few seconds. This time, there was no rumbling to indicate the Groudon illusion's heavy footsteps.

Confused, Leaf cautiously took a few steps forward. He then jumped higher than he cared to admit when there was a bright flash of light several feet ahead of him.

Uxie was waiting for him in the gap between the hills in the distance. Surprisingly, the Psychic-Type merely waved at Leaf before heading towards the lake. Leaf followed him warily, wondering what was going on.

When Leaf approached him, Uxie was quietly observing Fogbound Lake. There was a geyser mid-eruption in the middle, held in place by the area's paralysis just as the waterfalls had been. After a sigh, Uxie turned towards Leaf with a small smile on his face.

"You know… You could have told me what you needed the Time Gear for last time," he chided, but there was a hint of humor in his voice.

Leaf raised an eyebrow. "What…? You're saying you would have listened? And why the change of heart now?"

"Maybe I would have, but it's hard to know for sure." Uxie paused, though his smile grew a moment later. "And you'll have to thank the Guild later. They sent recruits to tell Mesprit, Azelf, and me what was going on… Even though Azelf told us when one of them reached him, it was still nice to let all of us know."

"I see." Leaf nodded. "So…you know why I need the Time Gears, then, yes?"

"I do. It's strange…" Uxie sighed. "The other guardians and I _were_ told there was some other purpose the gears served, but we were never told what, precisely, that purpose was. Dialga said he'd let us know 'when the time was right,' but…"

"This seems like a good time to fill you in," Leaf answered pointedly.

"Exactly, and that's been worrying me." Uxie frowned. "It makes me wonder if…"

As the guardian trailed off, Leaf felt a flash of worry himself. How had Uxie intended to finish that sentence? It could have been something that Leaf needed to know, especially if it was something about Dialga…

Uxie quickly shook his head, having caught Leaf's nervous look.

"I apologize; I'm likely just thinking too much. Hold on…"

Uxie vanished, and his silhouette was temporarily visible in the middle of the frozen geyser. A few seconds later, he reappeared in front of Leaf, and he was holding the Time Gear. He handed it to Leaf, who carefully put it in his bag with the other two.

"Good luck," Uxie said. "And remember, we're on your side this time."

"Thank you."

With an appreciative nod, Leaf hurried away; he was starting to feel better about things now.

* * *

When he arrived at the Northern Desert, Leaf carefully headed towards the quicksand pits. They were just as still as everything else was; they almost resembled plain conical slopes covered in normal sand. When Leaf leapt towards one of them, he simply slid downwards in an almost comical way.

Grunting, he shook himself off when he hit the ground below. Leaf wasn't sure if he'd ever get used to that—then again, he wouldn't really need to. At any rate, he hurried through Quicksand Cave, trying to reach Mesprit's chamber as soon as possible.

Mesprit was waiting for him when he reached the lake, and she was actually grinning at him. She waved excitedly, and Leaf approached her with a curious expression.

"Hey, there!" she called. "You'll be wanting this…"

Mesprit was already holding the Time Gear, and Leaf darted up to her.

"Indeed." Leaf nodded. "I'm a bit surprised at how quickly you all are accepting this, but…"

Before she handed him the Time Gear, Mesprit paused and suddenly had a more serious look on her face. Leaf was taken aback; Mesprit was staring at him rather intensely.

"It would've been nice if you hadn't attacked us last time," she said. "Why _didn't_ you tell anyone what you were really doing?"

Leaf sighed. "I'm…not really sure. All I knew was that I hadn't been able to trust anyone before, and, well… You know what everyone's reactions were to me taking the Time Gears."

(And there was the fact that Ditto hadn't listened to him the first time around, either. This didn't seem like a good time to mention that, though; it probably would've sounded like Leaf was just blaming everyone else. Fortunately, he didn't need to worry about it, as Mesprit nodded a moment later.)

"You have a point there, I suppose."

Her serious tone dropped, and Leaf felt an extreme wave of relief washing over him. The guardian was abruptly cheery again as she floated towards him. Leaf wondered offhand if her mood was affecting his as some kind of side-effect of her emotional powers.

Either way, he assumed it didn't matter much. As long as Mesprit was willingly giving him the Time Gear, Leaf wouldn't question any of the minor details.

"How many is it that you have now?" she asked.

Leaf secured the gear in his bag before answering. "Four. I'm almost finished, so your lake will be back to normal soon, I promise."

The two of them stared out at the frozen water. Large waves sat in place further back in the lake, while the water near the shore refused to move any closer to them. Mesprit frowned and closed her eyes before looking at Leaf.

"That's…that's been the worst part, to be honest," she admitted. "I know it was necessary and only temporary now, but…"

"You still felt responsible at the time?" Leaf finished. "Well…I felt the same way when I failed before. We're making up for it now, so don't worry anymore."

Mesprit's eyes were a bit bright as she gave him a nod in confirmation, but her grin was wider, too. Giving her a quick smile of his own, Leaf hurried away, determined to keep up his deal this time.

* * *

Now was as good a time as any to leave a message for Claire, Leaf decided.

He headed towards Treasure Town cautiously. Even though Claire had to have told everyone the truth about him while explaining the current situation, going about in public made him nervous. It would likely take everyone some time to fully accept him, so Leaf restricted himself to sneaking along the edges of town again.

When he reached the bluff, Leaf quickly glanced over his shoulder and scurried inside. Surprisingly, all five of the beds were still set up… More importantly, though, there was a scrap of paper sitting on the nearest one. Leaf curiously picked it up, recognizing Claire's handwriting as he read it over.

'_Dear Leaf,'_ the message started, _'I hope this message finds you safe! I'm not sure how many of the Time Gears you'll have by the time you read this, but we told the guild to warn the lake guardians so they don't fight you again. You may want to wait a little while just to be sure they have time to get there… Of course, if you've already been there by the time you see this, you'd already know that…_

'_Anyway, it's a bit slow, but we're making some progress on finding the Hidden Land. Be sure to let us know how many Time Gears you have when you get here! Oh, and I don't know if you have any paper, but just in case, we left you some. From, Claire.'_

Leaf smiled absently as he tucked the note into his bag. He took one of the sheets of paper lying near the middle of the cavern and quickly penned a reply, being sure to thank them for the messengers. When he finished, Leaf started to walk towards the stairs, but then paused and turned around again.

Claire had asked him about her family when they'd last stayed here, and she deserved to know. If he didn't tell her soon, he might not have another chance… Leaf grabbed some more paper and raised the pen again, but then he hesitated; would telling her really be a good idea? Her mother was dead, and she wouldn't be able to reunite with Andrew, anyway. He didn't want to depress her or give her a sense of false hope.

Leaf couldn't do that to her. It wasn't fair at all, but he just _couldn't_. Sighing, Leaf abandoned the idea and left the bluff. There was one Time Gear left, and now was not the time for dwelling.

* * *

When Leaf arrived in the final chamber of Crystal Cave, the crystal puzzle was already open. It confused him at first, but he supposed Azelf was expecting him. This time, it was a good thing.

It also helped that Crystal Cave wasn't paralyzed. After seeing so many Pokémon suffering from frozen time, it was refreshing to see the regular ones here.

He assumed Azelf would be waiting for him near the lake like Uxie and Mesprit had been. When he reached the final chamber, Leaf was proven right, but Azelf didn't face him right away. Instead, he was staring intently at the lake.

Leaf couldn't blame him; unlike the other lakes, the water here was moving as it should be. It was one of the many minor yet beautiful things that had driven Leaf's resolve even more… He wouldn't let this place _stay_ frozen after he took its Time Gear.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Azelf jumped when he heard Leaf's voice. He smiled as he turned around, however, and the guardian nodded as Leaf approached.

"It is," he replied softly. "It's surprising how little I thought of it before, but…"

He looked away, though, and Leaf cringed. While Azelf wasn't showing it much, it felt like he nervous.

"Look, ah…I'm sorry about last time," Leaf mumbled.

Azelf chuckled. "No, don't worry about it; I was being too stubborn. You were only doing what you thought you had to do."

It was a weak justification; they both knew how badly Leaf had hurt him. There was nothing that could be done about it now, of course… Leaf still shuddered, though, thinking about what he'd done to Team Shadow as well.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Azelf vanished. He reappeared in the middle of the lake, reaching down for the Time Gear. When he handed it to Leaf, a deep rumbling sounded from the back of the chamber as the lake stilled. Leaf had to steady himself as he put the Time Gear in his bag.

"I warned the dungeon's residents that this would happen," Azelf shouted over the din. "Let's get out of here!"

He put a hand on Leaf's shoulder, and his eyes started to glow. Soon enough, they materialized outside the cave, and Leaf sighed. Though he'd gotten _used_ to teleporting, between Celebi, Jirachi, and his fondness for Escape Orbs, Leaf didn't exactly _like_ it.

Azelf waited until he saw some of Crystal Cave's Pokémon exit the dungeon before he looked back at Leaf. Despite the fact that they'd been prepared, Azelf was clearly relieved to see they were making it out safely.

"Go," he said seriously. "We're counting on you."

"I know. I won't let you down!"

Leaf nodded over his shoulder as he dashed away. Anticipation ran high as he started making his way back towards Treasure Town.

He was finally doing what he was _supposed_ to have done last time, and now there was only one thing left to accomplish.


	20. Arrival

**Author's Note:** It looks like a bit of a jump here, but the search for the Hidden Land would've happened at the same time as Leaf's Time Gear gathering in the last chapter, so I just went on to Brine Cave. (Don't worry; the cave itself will get a side story eventually, at least.) Anyway, the Hidden Land's a pretty neat place, and of course we the readers know that there's some delicious dramatic irony in here with Bruce, too.

(And as a bonus note, I've now gotten further than I did when I first wrote this story. What a good way to make the first update of the new year.)

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: Arrival**

"And _stay_ gone!" Iris shouted at the retreating figures. Then, she added a grumbled, "_Jerks_…"

Claire's breath was still heavy as she watched the Kabutops and pair of Omastar flee. They'd made it through the fight somehow, but…it had been difficult. Even with all five of them, they'd only just made it, and all of Team Shadow's members were soaking wet and covered in cuts and bruises.

They'd talked to the town's elder, Torkoal, and found out the truth behind Felix's Relic Fragment. Then, the guild had made their way towards Brine Cave. All of Team Shadow's members had gone on the trip, even Bruce, but they'd had to split into two groups to stay in line with the guild's rules. Bruce had gone with Rin and Iris, and Chatot had tailed along with Claire and Felix. They'd met up in the far chamber, but…

"Is…is he okay?" Felix whispered as his eyes fell on Chatot.

The five of them cautiously approached the bird. He'd leapt in front of them when the fossil Pokémon had appeared, and he'd easily been swatted aside by Kabutops. Chatot had fallen unconscious before the fight, and he was far too still even now.

Suddenly, Chatot stirred weakly, and Claire jumped. Chatot wheezed, water spewing out of his beak, as he rolled over. One of his wings shifted, and Claire cringed; it was then that they all got a good look at his injuries. His body was covered in deep slashes, and blood stained most of his feathers. Some of it had dripped onto the floor and splattered across his other wing, which was awkwardly crumpled beneath him.

"…Chatot?" she said softly, reaching into her bag for an Oran Berry.

"You're…all fine," he coughed. "Well? Why aren't you…going on ahead?"

Bruce stared at him, aghast. "We can't just leave you here! Not like this—"

"Chatot!"

He was cut off by a shout in the distance that sounded like Wigglytuff's voice. As the group turned around, they saw the Guildmaster dashing towards them with Leaf in tow. Well, that was convenient—they'd needed to find the Grovyle anyway—but they could ask questions later.

Wigglytuff leaned down, resting one paw under Chatot's head. All Chatot could do was let out another weak cough, and Wigglytuff's eyes were watering when he went on.

"How could you do that again, Chatot?" he wailed. "You took a hit from those bandits, didn't you?"

"A-again? Oh, right," Chatot wheezed. "I…suppose that's what happened last time…isn't it?"

There were footsteps in the distance, and suddenly the rest of the guild piled into the chamber. They let out various cries of alarm; Claire wasn't sure how many of them were because of Chatot and how many were at the sight of Leaf. Still, if all of them were here now, maybe they'd be able to safely carry Chatot out of there.

Leaf crouched down, examining Chatot's wounds. Then, he reached out for the berry Claire had grabbed, and he carefully handed it to the bird. Somehow, Chatot managed to choke it down, and the edges of his cuts shrank ever so slightly.

"I think he'll make it," Leaf murmured. "You'll have to get him out of here now, though. Go!"

"Y-yes," Wigglytuff sniffled. "Of course. You all…go on ahead."

Leaf nodded as Wigglytuff gently lifted Chatot off the ground. His protests at being carried almost would've been funny if not for the current situation… As they left, Claire could hear Sydney muttering something about offering to switch with Wigglytuff every now and then. It might take some effort to secure Chatot on his back, but he was one of the only recruits large enough to easily carry him. She wasn't sure what Wigglytuff's reply was, but Claire watched the group for a few more seconds nonetheless.

Finally, she looked back at Leaf, and a small smile crossed her face. He looked at her as well, returning the smile as he rested a claw on her shoulder.

"Well, it looks like we had good timing," he commented. "Your guildmaster caught up with me right when I was on my way back to Treasure Town."

Claire nodded. "I was wondering why you two were together! So do you have all the Time Gears now?"

"Of course I do." Leaf idly tapped his battered bag before glancing around. "So…what is it we're supposed to be looking for here?"

"Well…" Rin tilted her head to the side. "I think it's something that matches Felix's Relic Fragment… I guess it's a bit further ahead?"

"Relic Fragment?" Leaf repeated.

Felix nodded. "Mm, I'll show you in a minute. Let's go."

The six of them plodded up to a further part of the cave, glancing around as they went. Finally, they arrived in a small chamber that opened out into the sea. The opposite wall had a large swirling pattern carved into it, and it looked nearly identical to the design on Felix's personal treasure. It was a little larger and more elaborate, but there were many of the same shapes nonetheless.

"Ah, here!" Claire said as her eyes fell on it. "Felix, do you think you should take it out here?"

The Chimchar nodded, reaching into his treasure bag. He carefully pulled out his Relic Fragment and gently set it on the ground near the pattern. For a few seconds, there was silence, and Claire wondered if anything would happen. Then, a faint light rose out of the pattern on Felix's stone, and a bright teal beam shot out of the center of the carving on the wall.

Everyone ducked instinctively. Then, the beam of light faded, and Claire looked up hesitantly. Iris had already jumped back to her feet, and Leaf and Bruce were following her example. As Claire dusted herself off, Rin and Felix glanced around curiously.

"What…do you think that was?" Rin wondered.

Iris squinted at something in the distance, waving towards it as she said, "I don't know, but you think it has anything to do with that?"

There was a silhouette visible out on the ocean, and, within a few minutes, a Lapras had arrived on the shoreline. He glanced between the group, then smiled and nodded.

"You must be the ones Wigglytuff mentioned, yes? I'm Lapras, and I can take you to the Hidden Land if you're ready."

Claire nodded. "It's nice to meet you, Lapras! Was that a signal of some kind, then?"

"Yes, it only activates with that stone there," he explained, nodding towards Felix's Relic Fragment. "Dialga supposedly made it years ago as proof that its holder is worthy of entering the Hidden Land."

Felix blushed slightly, an awestruck look on his face as he collected the stone. After he tucked it back into his bag, he piped up with a question of his own.

"Really? And, um, will you be able to carry us all?"

"I should, but…" Lapras paused. "I'm not sure if it's wise to approach Dialga with such a large group. It may be a good idea for one or two of you to stay behind."

Oh; that hadn't been something Claire had thought about. Frowning, she glanced around at her team. She didn't want to send anyone home if she didn't have to, but…Lapras had a point. Too many visitors might make Dialga wary, after all.

Eventually, Bruce said, "Well, I don't mind staying here if you think it'd help."

"Bruce?" Claire blinked. "We already left you once before… Are you sure about this?"

The Glameow grinned. "It's all right, really! At least this time I know where you're going, and that you'll be coming back. So…I'd like to go, but I can get back to the guild by myself."

"If you're sure, then…"

Claire looked back at Lapras, who in turn nodded at her.

"I think that will be fine," he said. "Now, if the rest of you can get up on my back…"

The five of them climbed up onto Lapras's shell, and Claire paused to look down at Bruce. He just nodded as he looked over the rest of them. At least he didn't seem upset, but Claire couldn't help feeling guilty anyway.

"Come back soon!" he called. "I know you guys can do it!"

"We will!" Felix replied. "Wait for us, okay?"

Bruce nodded again before dashing out of the chamber. Then, Claire took a deep breath and looked at everyone else. Felix and Rin nodded, Iris looked excited, and Leaf rested an encouraging claw on her shoulder.

"Okay," she said. "I think we're ready, Lapras."

"All right, then; we're off."

Lapras slowly turned around before drifting out of the cavern. His fins splashed lightly through the water as they went, and the sound was oddly relaxing. The moon had started to rise by now, and Claire found the whole scene pretty. She knew they were about to do something important, but…she didn't want to get too nervous, either. And this was helping her relax.

"So, Lapras," Claire said after a moment, "you know the Guildmaster?"

He nodded. "Wigglytuff and I met several years back. He'd been exploring Brine Cave with Chatot, and the two of them apparently ran into some trouble with a couple of thugs."

"Oh," Rin commented in realization. "That's what Wigglytuff meant when he said Chatot 'did it again,' didn't he?"

"Yes," Lapras confirmed. "He'd taken a blow meant for Wigglytuff. Fortunately, Wigglytuff was able to fend them off by himself, but…he was worried about whether or not Chatot was going to make it. I'd intended to stay hidden, but when I saw how badly his friend was hurt, I decided to lend Wigglytuff a hand."

Leaf nodded. "I see… You wouldn't want anyone to figure out what you were guarding if you could help it, right?"

"Indeed. I had Wigglytuff promise not to tell anyone what he'd seen here, but…well, even I'd noticed that time had started deteriorating." Lapras sighed. "Even if Wigglytuff hadn't come to tell me what was going on, I probably would've figured it out."

There was silence for a few seconds. Claire couldn't help wondering what Lapras would've done had they not shown up. Could he have fixed things on his own? She wasn't sure. All she knew was that they wouldn't have been able to get to the Hidden Land without him. If Wigglytuff hadn't put in a good word for them, would he have listened to them?

So, _so_ much had almost gone wrong, after all. The lake guardians hadn't listened to Leaf at first; she hadn't either. Claire had almost gotten him (and herself, and her teammates) _killed_ by listening to Dusknoir. But Lapras seemed reasonable enough, and—

Leaf glanced at her, noticing the worry plastered on her face. Before he could say anything, though, Iris yawned loudly. Felix was rubbing his eyes, too. They were all worn out—both from that last fight and all the traveling they'd had to do.

"I can't believe that's the second time Chatot's done that," Iris muttered; it was obvious what she'd been thinking about while Claire was wrapped up in her own thoughts. "All I ever did was goof off and yell at him, but…he still thought we were all important enough to protect."

They were silent for a few seconds; no one was really sure how to reply to that. It had surprised Claire, too, admittedly. She bit her lip, though she failed to swallow a yawn of her own. Finally, Lapras spoke up for her.

"…You should get some rest," he said gently. "I'll wake you when we're almost there."

"All right," Claire replied. "Thanks, Lapras."

With that, she closed her eyes, leaned against Leaf, and started to doze off. Claire was vaguely aware of the Grass-type resting his head on top of hers, and the last thing she heard was Iris's light snoring before she fell asleep.

* * *

Claire yawned and rubbed a paw at her eyes. She blinked several times, trying to get her vision to focus. It seemed to be early morning; it was considerably lighter now, but there were a few last streaks of pinkish-orange light on the horizon.

Lapras was still dutifully ferrying them across the ocean, and they were still secure on his back. Iris was sprawled out horizontally across his shell, taking up a good portion of it. Rin was positioned near her, and Felix was lying with his head on Rin's leg. Claire and Leaf were near Lapras's neck, still leaning against each other. Leaf seemed to be awake as well; he shifted slightly when he felt Claire move, and he glanced down at her.

"Claire? Are you awake?"

"Mostly," she mumbled. "Should we wake the others?"

"Now would be a good time," Lapras agreed, and Claire jumped at his voice. "We're nearly there."

They nodded and stretched before carefully climbing over to the rest of the team. Iris grumbled and took a few seconds to fully rouse herself. Meanwhile, Felix and Rin were a bit quicker to rise.

"Are we almost there?" Felix asked through a yawn.

"Yes," Lapras called. "See that light up there?"

Claire padded towards the front of Lapras's shell, and she glanced around his neck. The others did the same as best they could, though she could hear Rin trying to talk Iris out of climbing up Lapras's neck to see over his head. Giggling, Claire turned back around and squinted. Soon, she could make out a twisted column of glittering teal light rising up out of the waves ahead of them.

"Yeah—what is that?"

"That," Lapras explained, "is the entrance to the Hidden Land. Now hang on tight, everyone!"

"Wha—but how—?"

Before Iris could finish her still-half-groggy question, Lapras swam into the light. The air around them seemed to lurch, and Iris shouted and grabbed onto one of the spikes on Lapras's shell. Claire's stomach churned as the ocean beneath them got further away. Felix was gripping onto her arm so tightly his knuckles turned white, and his eyes had widened in fear.

"Lapras, what is this?" Leaf asked, having to shout over the wind whipping around them.

"Why, the sea of time, of course," Lapras replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. "We're still swimming, you know—just in a different dimension than usual. Look there!"

And, in the distance, there was an island floating amid the clouds—or maybe it was simply resting in a sea of its own. It just wasn't in the sense Claire had expected, really. Finally, off to one side was a large tower surrounded by more clouds, these ones swirling around in a spiral close to the peak.

"That's the Hidden Land and Temporal Tower. We'll be there soon!"

And, with a sudden burst of speed, Lapras approached the island's edge. He gently turned to the side, allowing them more space to get off. Leaf leaped down and caught his balance easily, as if the trip had been the most natural thing in the world. Claire was a bit envious; she and Rin were more wobbly and required his help to climb down.

While Iris was eager enough to make the jump, she lurched and rolled over awkwardly once she was on the ground, and she groaned as she stood up. Finally, Felix came down slowly, inch by inch, and he staggered as he reached for Claire's hand. He stood there quivering for a few seconds before he attempted to walk at all.

Lapras watched them as he said, "It may take some time to adjust, but set out as soon as you're able. Find the Old Ruins—there you'll be able to catch the Rainbow Stoneship."

"Rainbow Stoneship?" Claire repeated.

"Yes; it's what you need to get up to Temporal Tower," Lapras explained. He glanced up at the tower in the distance before adding, "…Be careful. I don't know what to expect up there. I'm not sure if Dialga will be…all right when you find him. But you must try."

Leaf took a deep breath. "We know. Is everyone ready?"

Everyone seemed to have regained their footing by now, and Claire nodded. She wasn't entirely sure what Lapras meant, but…well, Dialga had to have noticed that time was starting to become unstable, right? Hopefully he wasn't as bad as he was in the future, but there was always the off chance…

No. Claire would worry about that when they got there. Instead, she simply looked back over at Leaf. The Grovyle nodded at Lapras, and then he turned towards a pathway leading up a hill nearby. He looked at Claire—determined, resigned, relieved, and something she couldn't quite place—and then he gestured to the rest of her team.

"All right. Let's go, then."

And with that, they were off, and Lapras called one last encouragement as they made their way into the Hidden Land.

* * *

Claire certainly hadn't expected the trip to be easy, but she was starting to get worn out.

The highlands stretching across the southern part of the island had been swarmed with Pokémon, and her group had attracted a good deal of attention. While it hurt to think, she could see Lapras's point about traveling in small numbers, and they weren't even at Temporal Tower yet. The plus side was that, much like their trip in the future, they were at least able to deal with the fights quickly enough.

"There," Iris wheezed as she knocked out a Dragonite with a well-timed Faint Attack. "That's enough!"

Rin was leaning on her bone for support, breathing heavily as she paused for a break. Meanwhile, Felix was covered in heavy bruises, and he was digging through his bag for an Oran Berry. The Chimchar looked considerably better after swallowing it, and Claire nodded weakly as she ate a berry of her own.

"Is…is everyone okay?" she asked.

They'd just gotten through an especially crowded area, and they were pretty far into the dungeon. Everyone would've been worn out even if it weren't for the number of Pokémon they'd just dealt with. Still, they had to be getting close to the ruins now, right? That thought had been what had carried Claire through that battle.

Leaf was resting nearby, and he glanced between Claire's teammates. Admittedly, they didn't look great, but they were probably as good as they could have been, all things considered. He nodded as he stood up and headed over to her.

"I think so," he replied. "We probably ought to get moving soon, though."

She nodded in return and started walking again. The other three reluctantly followed after her, and Leaf brought up the rear. As they filed into a particularly narrow path, Claire kept her eyes out for any more enemies. They couldn't let their guard down now—

She yowled and jumped backwards when a Manectric suddenly rounded the corner, nearly crashing into Felix. He caught her, and she ducked as Felix spat a Flamethrower over her head. Growling, Manectric started crackling with electricity, and Claire recovered quickly enough to strike him with a Night Slash. He crumpled before getting to launch his attack, and Claire sighed as she stepped around him.

"Is everything all right?" Leaf called.

"Yeah! Just a Manectric, but we got him," Felix answered.

Fortunately, the trail ahead of them soon led to a large stone building. Claire leaned against the heavy old doors when they arrived, and they opened with a loud scraping noise. There didn't seem to be any more Pokémon in the area, which was good. Claire glanced around; the walls up ahead were decorated with various murals, though the carvings and paintings had faded slightly with age.

"I guess we're in the Old Ruins now?" Rin mused, taking a few steps forward as she looked around. "It's…very interesting in here."

Claire nodded as she followed the Cubone down the hallway. One of the murals caught her attention—it depicted Groudon fighting against a large blue Pokémon, and she couldn't help remembering their trip to Fogbound Lake when she saw it. The last one showed Dialga, albeit colored blue and silver instead of the purple and gold she'd seen in the future. Was that how he was supposed to look?

"Yes," Leaf agreed, and it was now that Claire noticed he'd gotten ahead of her at some point. "I'd assume you're right. Which means the Stoneship Lapras mentioned should be nearby."

A few minutes later, they exited through the other side of the building. There was a large pedestal ahead of them, and Claire couldn't help feeling nervous as they filed up the stairs. Something about the place felt…_strange_. It was too quiet. Of course, it could've just been the sheer size of the place and the knowledge where they were going next. Claire wanted to believe that her nerves were just making her imagination act up.

Soon enough, they'd arrived at the top. There was a large circular stone in the middle with an indentation carved out of its center, and it was decorated with a complex swirling pattern. It was just like the wall at Brine Cave, Claire realized. Were they supposed to use the Relic Fragment here somehow?

She looked around, noticing that Leaf had settled near a small tablet on the far side of the altar. Rin and Iris had followed him over there, while Felix's attention had been drawn by the hole nearby. Claire padded over to Leaf, peering around his shoulder at the tablet.

"Does that say what to do here?"

He nodded. "Yes—I believe Felix needs to put his stone there in the middle. That should activate the ship, and…"

"Oh, that makes sense," Felix interrupted. "I mean, that's what I figured, but…it's good to know for sure."

He reached into his treasure bag, fishing around for his Relic Fragment. Before he pulled it out, though, he paused and looked around. Claire felt her ears twitch; she, too, had noticed that something was wrong. She…_heard_ something, scratching and cackling and—

Then, there was an all-too-familiar voice saying, "That's enough. Apologies, but I can't let you do that."

They were surrounded by Sableye, and Dusknoir was visible behind his minions a few seconds later.

It was a trap, Claire realized belatedly, and they'd wandered right into it.


	21. Parting Shot

**Author's Note:** And Dusknoir fight, go! Pretty straightforward chapter; not much to say in terms of plot or changes here. Though the fight itself was surprisingly fun to write, and Claire's reaction to the reveal was also interesting for me.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One: Parting Shot**

Leaf had thought it was too convenient. He'd known, deep down, that Dusknoir would come back and try to stop them again. (Claire had even worried about that herself recently.) Still, he'd hoped they'd get out of all this with minimal damage control.

That was looking increasingly unlikely now, though, as the Sableye pressed up against them and forced them down the stairs at the opposite side of the Stoneship's platform. Currently, they were too tightly packed to do much, even if they were going to fight their way out of this. And Leaf knew there would be a fight this time—there was no way Dusknoir would sit back and let them go easily. Not after his failure to catch them last time.

Finally, the Sableye fanned out and moved back near their master. Leaf glanced around, trying to get a feel for his surroundings. They were in a fairly small but open area; they'd have enough space to move around, if nothing else. There were some broken pillars and crumbled wall foundations lining the ground; maybe it had been part of a temple at some point. At any rate, there wasn't much to get in their way, for whatever that was worth.

"It's been far too long, don't you think?" Dusknoir commented, the edges of his stomach mouth curling up into a faint smile. "Perhaps this time, you won't run off without so much as a goodbye."

"How did you even get here?" Iris snapped. "Lapras said we had to have some kind of 'proof' to come here. Doesn't that mean you have to be a _good_ Pokémon to get into the Hidden Land?"

Of course she'd be the first one of Claire's friends to pipe up. Even in the short amount of time they'd known each other, Leaf knew he could count on the Cacnea to come up with some kind of witty remark, and it was almost comforting. Meanwhile, Dusknoir seemed to ignore the jab. Instead, he merely moved to the side and gestured at an all-too-familiar sight; a Dimensional Hole had been set up at the back of their makeshift arena.

"I had Master Dialga send us here directly. I knew you'd show up sooner or later, so it saved us some time." Dusknoir chuckled coolly before adding, "You kept me waiting, though."

"Well, I'm terribly sorry about that," Leaf retorted. "But you'll have to understand if we send you back empty-handed."

"Then you're making my job easier," he replied easily. "It doesn't matter whether or not I bring you back conscious, after all. _Go_."

With that, the Sableye cackled and ran towards the group. Leaf barely had time to glance at Claire, who in turn looked at her teammates. They all seemed to realize that a fight was inevitable, as they simply nodded in reply and shifted their stances accordingly.

And then pandemonium broke loose. Two Sableye ganged up on Iris; she struck one with a Needle Arm and shot a Pin Missile at the other. Then, she proceeded to grab both of them and slam their heads together, and the ends of her arms glowed light green. The Sableye flailed around for a few seconds before their movements slowed, and they staggered around weakly after the Absorb had drained enough of their energy.

Nearby, another one had cornered Rin. The Cubone bashed him with her club, and he howled in pain before biting into her arm. Felix spat out a Flamethrower at the one harassing Rin, only to get slashed from behind by another.

Meanwhile, Leaf was doing his best to keep his eyes on Claire and Dusknoir, though he was having a hard time following both. Dusknoir seemed content watching the brawl for now, but Leaf couldn't trust him to sit there forever. Claire had tackled a fifth Sableye to the ground, and he was wildly trying to scratch at her as she launched a Thunderbolt at him. His yelp of pain prompted his last companion to sneak up on Claire, and Leaf decided she needed his aid more than anything else right now.

"_Bite_ me, human," the Sableye crowed before chomping down on Claire's arm.

She yowled and tried to jerk her arm around, but all that did was make him bite down harder. Leaf rammed into the Sableye's back, slashing down at him with a Leaf Blade. He yelped, releasing his grip on Claire and stumbling to the side. Finally, Leaf grabbed onto Sableye's wrist and closed his eyes, feeling a light rush as his opponent whined in pain—_Absorb_—and the ghost staggered to the ground.

It gave Claire the opening she needed to launch another Thunderbolt at the one she'd attacked earlier. That Sableye twitched before crumpling, splayed out at an awkward angle on the rocky ground. Claire shakily rose to her feet, looking a bit dazed as she tried to steady herself.

Before she could say anything, Leaf was rammed to the ground, and not by one of the remaining Sableye. Dusknoir had finally joined the brawl, and Leaf grunted as he was slammed face-first into a patch of dirt. He shivered, a cold patch spreading over his back, and he cringed as he tried and failed to get back to his feet. No, not while Claire was still unsteady; he couldn't leave her—

"Back off!"

That was…Claire's voice, and the ensuing groan seemed to come from Dusknoir. He heard something distinctly watery striking the larger Pokémon, and Leaf had a few precious seconds to get back on his feet. There wasn't enough time to assess how much damage her Water Pulse had done, but it gave him an opening of his own.

Leaf crouched down, took a deep breath, and charged forward. The Quick Attack was useful for little more than a speed boost, as he knew it wouldn't hurt Dusknoir much (if at all), but he needed it to close the gap. Upon getting close enough, Leaf grabbed one of Dusknoir's arms, swung himself onto his back, and placed his other claw on the back of Dusknoir's head.

"Sorry, but I've got to make up for earlier," Leaf grunted, closing his eyes and readying another Absorb.

Dusknoir flailed wildly beneath him, growling, "You won't get the better of _me_!"

His movements slowed as Leaf felt a surge of energy pass through him. Soon, though, Dusknoir started to recover; he swung his arm forward, loosening Leaf's grip and sending him flying. The Grass-Type crashed into one of the Sableye, and they landed in a rather undignified heap. On the plus side, the impact seemed to have knocked the smaller ghost unconscious, leaving Claire's teammates with a much more favorable three-on-three match-up.

"Felix, watch out!"

"Thanks, Rin!"

"Iris, to your left!"

They were looking worse for the wear now, but so did their opponents. Iris was starting to get creative; she swerved around, grabbed the offending Sableye by the head, and lifted him into the air. Then, she slammed him into the ground, and he was left whimpering in pain as the Cacnea darted off to help Rin and Felix.

That left Claire—where was she? Leaf's eyes widened. Dusknoir had her cornered near a pillar, readying what looked like a Will-o-Wisp between his hands. Claire ducked, rolled beneath him, and struck upwards with a Night Slash. She didn't hit much of him, but the move still gave her a type advantage, and Dusknoir was thrown off balance enough that he lost his intended attack.

However, the small victory didn't last long. It only served to enrage Dusknoir, and he swung downwards with an Ice Punch. The attack caught Claire in the stomach, and she wheezed as she was sent skidding backwards towards everyone else.

"Claire!"

Everyone shouted her name in near-unison. Rin and Felix had taken care of the last two Sableye, leaving everyone free to charge towards Dusknoir. Felix paused, helping her up; there was a nasty bruise on her stomach, and her back was covered in skid marks, but she staggered to her feet somehow.

Leaf was in the lead, tearing forward with several rapid Leaf Blades. Dusknoir was sent flying, only stopping when he crashed into a pillar and snapped it in half from the impact. Rin followed it up with a Bonemerang, and Dusknoir was left wheezing on the ground.

"Face it," Leaf said coolly. "You're outnumbered and badly injured. Just give up already."

"Give up? You either don't know me half as well as you think, or you're hopelessly naïve!"

He rose into the air, stomach mouth opening to reveal a pitch-black emptiness within that seemed endless. Dusknoir raised his hands in front of the opening, pulling out a steadily-growing Shadow Ball. The air twisted around the move; something about it seemed unnatural. It was too large, too unsteady. If he unleashed it now, Leaf had no idea what would happen, let alone if Dusknoir let it build further—

"His stomach! Send it back down his stomach!" Iris shouted.

Felix whipped around to face her, eyes wide. "What?!"

"It's the only idea we have!" Claire replied. "Everyone, together!"

Everything seemed to slow down as Dusknoir launched the move. Leaf braced himself, feeling the pulsing energy of the Shadow Ball even before it was anywhere near them. Then, Claire and her friends got into position, and—

"_Now_!"

They moved together, swinging forward, somehow with enough strength to reflect the move. It turned back, smashing into Dusknoir. He roared in pain, crashing to the ground as smoke rose from his midsection. His stomach mouth remained cracked, and he wheezed almost pitifully as he attempted to use one arm to steady himself.

Felix tentatively took a step forward. "Did it work? Is he…?"

The Sableye started to stir, perhaps roused by all the noise. Leaf's eyes widened; they couldn't possibly have the energy to keep fighting, could they? While they didn't have nearly as much endurance as Dusknoir did, he could never be too sure.

"Wheh! Lord Dusknoir?!"

"He's down, wheh-heh!"

"What do we do?"

"Wheh-heh… we run, you idiots!"

Fortunately, they started bickering instead. It was immediately followed by all six of them scrambling towards the Dimensional Hole and leaping into it one by one. Dusknoir was trembling—in shock or rage, Leaf wasn't sure—but he could do little more than glare at the retreating figures as he pulled himself into a more stable position.

"Your Sableye abandoned you," Leaf said, feeling oddly satisfied at the observation, "and I doubt you'll hang on much longer. Why don't you go on and follow them?"

He was met with a deepened glare and a roughly-growled, "Never." Sighing, Leaf glanced at Claire's teammates. It was clear the battle was over, but they couldn't just leave Dusknoir here. They needed to hurry, but Leaf knew better than to walk away from him.

"Felix," he started, "go put your Relic Fragment in the Rainbow Stoneship. Iris, Rin, go with him, just to be safe. Claire and I will stay here and make sure Dusknoir doesn't follow you."

"Oh, okay." Felix blinked. "We can do that, I guess? Let's go."

The Chimchar glanced over his shoulder as he headed towards the stairs. Iris and Rin simply shrugged at each other before following him. Once they were all gone, Leaf turned back to Claire and Dusknoir. Claire moved closer to him, resting a paw on his arm as she cautiously looked at Dusknoir.

"Really, why don't you follow them?" she said softly. "You already lost. If you try to fight us again, you'll just hurt yourself worse."

Claire really was too nice for her own good, Leaf mused. Then again, that had been one of the few things that had given him some sense of hope when they'd started all this. Still, there was an odd look in Dusknoir's eye that Leaf couldn't quite read. Before he could say anything, though, Dusknoir beat him to the punch.

"You two…should know the answer to that," he grunted. "Did you ever think I'd just lie back and…let you end us all like this?"

Claire blinked, slowly glancing up at Leaf. "What is he talking about?"

Leaf's breath hitched in his throat. Of course Claire wouldn't remember, and of course she deserved to know. But this wasn't how he'd wanted her to find out. Dusknoir wasn't going to say it, was he? He _couldn't_—

"Oh, you haven't told her?" A deep smirk curled its way across Dusknoir's midsection. "How positively _cruel_, Grovyle. Were you going to bring Claire all the way up there without her _knowing_?"

"W-without knowing _what_?"

Claire's voice cracked, and Leaf shook his head and looked away from her. He'd _wanted_ to tell her; he almost _had_ told her in that note he'd left back at the bluff. But then he'd put it off for too long, and there was no good way to break it to her regardless, and—

Dusknoir managed a weak laugh. "Did you truly think that changing the future would have no effect on us? That things would somehow just become the way they 'should've' been all along? No; if you change things now, our future won't come to pass. It won't exist—_we_ won't exist! Did that not occur to you at all?"

Claire's expression went blank somewhere during all that, and she'd started trembling at the end of it. She staggered aside, paws raised to her face. Then, she looked up at Leaf, silently begging him to prove Dusknoir wrong. To say something, _anythin_g at all. But Leaf couldn't; there wasn't anything _to_ say about it.

He just closed his eyes and silently shook his head. Swallowing, Leaf opened his eyes again, and he almost wished he hadn't. The expression on Claire's face wasn't one he could properly name—but the hurt, despair, shock, and betrayal in her eyes were too much to take in at once.

"Listen, Claire, I…I'm sorry," he said softly, stepping forward and putting a claw on her shoulder. "I should've told you, and I can't take back that I didn't. But…when we made our first trip here…we knew what the risks were. We knew the whole time that this could happen. And everyone was all right with the possibility."

"I-I was…okay with coming back and…disappearing," Claire whispered, her eyes darting everywhere except for Leaf. "We…really won't exist after this? There's really no way to stop that?"

Leaf's gut twisted. "…No. None that we could find."

Claire sank to her knees, eyes still wide. _It was Leaf's fault_. He should've said something. But really, what _could_ he have said? She actually had something to lose now, even if the shock of the information itself wasn't enough. And that made things even worse for her.

Claire had friends who she'd gotten attached to, and who were attached to her. Of course they'd had a few friends back in the planetary investigation team, but all of them already knew they might lose each other. Here, none of her teammates knew that. None of them were prepared for it.

It had vaguely occurred to him during his chat with Felix a while back, but at least Leaf knew he had a family to fall back on. He knew barely anything about Rin or Iris, and especially not that Glameow he'd met in Brine Cave. Did they have sufficient support systems? Would they be able to get over the loss? Leaf didn't know, and that stung.

"Oh, you really are terrible," Dusknoir said. By now, he'd recovered enough to fully pull himself up, and he was looming over the duo. "But perhaps we could do something about that? If I bring you back now, we can stop this. Our world will be preserved, and we will all be safe!"

Leaf felt the air shimmering behind him, and he whipped around to face Dusknoir. He was forming another Shadow Ball, and Claire was in no position to do anything about it. Her shock was still too great, and she was hunched over in a quivering ball. While it would have little effect on her, she was far too vulnerable, and—

Without hesitating, Leaf leapt in front of the attack when Dusknoir roared and launched it towards them. He howled in pain as he was slammed into the ground, and he struggled to move for a few seconds. But if he was lucky, Dusknoir would need some time to ready another attack. If he could just get his legs to cooperate, then maybe he could catch Dusknoir while he needed to rest between moves.

"_Leaf_!"

Claire managed to find her voice again when Leaf staggered to his feet. He was vaguely aware of some thrumming noise in the distance, but he couldn't lose his concentration now. Instead, he leapt towards Dusknoir, catching the larger Pokémon off guard. It took some effort, but he managed to push one of Dusknoir's arms back behind him, then the other.

"Hey, I think we got it to work! Let's hurry and—what?!"

Leaf spared a quick glance to the side. Felix had arrived back in the arena with Rin and Iris in tow. All three of them wore wide-eyed shocked expressions, and he squeezed his own eyes shut as he looked away from them.

"I have to go back!" he shouted. "Back to the future with Dusknoir! He'll keep coming after you if I don't do something!"

"Unhand me!" Dusknoir roared, struggling against him as Leaf stumbled towards the Dimensional Hole. "You don't know what you're doing! You can't—"

"That's enough from you!" Leaf snapped. It was difficult—he was sure he'd lose his grip—but he managed to fumble for his treasure bag as he kept going. "It's too late for you to stop me. Claire, Felix—take these and go!"

For once, he was glad that his bag was such a tattered mess. It wasn't hard to get the Time Gears loose and let them scatter to the ground. Leaf could hear their surprised exclamations, but he couldn't stop.

The only thing on his mind now was protecting Claire. Even if it meant leaving, he had to keep Dusknoir at bay. Leaf knew better than to leave him there and hope he'd go through the Dimensional Hole on his own.

The only way was to force him through, and _someone_ had to do it.

"B-but what about you?" Felix sputtered. "You're Claire's partner! You have to come—"

"_You're_ her partner now," Leaf interrupted, a sad smile crossing his face. "You can help her do this! I know you can. So even though it hurts—"

And it really, _really_ hurt. He was fully aware that he was leaving Claire for good. Leaf wouldn't be seeing her again if she succeeded, and he knew it. They wouldn't even be together at the end. But…

"—I leave the rest to you! Now go. Protect the sunrise we talked about—for everyone's sake!"

And, with one final shove, they were there. Dusknoir howled as he was pushed into the Dimensional Hole, and Leaf cast one last glance over his shoulder before he lost sight of them entirely.

The last thing he saw was Claire running forward, paw outstretched as tears ran down her face. Leaf could only hope she heard the shouted "I'm sorry…Claire!" as the Dimensional Hole started to flicker. And then the entrance vanished, and Leaf felt his consciousness start to fade away.

His last thought was a satisfied kind of reassurance that their world would be safe now, and he'd done his part in helping it. And despite the pain still throbbing in his chest, Leaf decided that it had very much been worth it.


	22. Resolve

**Author's Note:** Another chapter where not much is changed plot-wise, but, again, I'm reasonably pleased with how the Dialga fight came out. (Also, I highly recommend you kick up the fight theme for this battle when you get to that part of the chapter, since it sets the scene well and is one of my favorite PMD2 tracks.) Anyway, the ending should make more sense in a couple of chapters, hopefully, but until then I'll leave you with the actual writing.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Resolve**

"…Claire, are you okay?"

Everything after their battle with Dusknoir had passed in a daze. Whatever Felix had done with the Rainbow Stoneship had clearly worked, since they were now in Temporal Tower (a few floors in, at that). The ride had barely registered on Claire, though, and she'd almost missed Felix's question.

…She couldn't answer that. Claire couldn't tell them what was bothering her. Suddenly, she understood why Leaf hadn't told her the truth sooner. It still hurt, but she _understood_.

"I'm fine," she mumbled. "Just a bit nervous, I guess."

Rin nodded. "Yeah…there's so much depending on us right now. But…we have to keep going."

"Yeah!" Iris agreed enthusiastically. "And we can't keep going without you, too, so come on!"

Felix still looked worried about her, but he smiled lightly anyway. "That's right. So…let's go? Just think—once we're done, I'm sure Leaf will be able to see it, too!"

_No, he wouldn't_. She wouldn't, either.

There was another deep sting in Claire's chest, but she couldn't say that. Instead, she simply nodded and swallowed. They had to go, and quickly at that. Who knew what would happen on the way up, but…they were almost out of time.

Finally, Claire sighed and said, "Yeah, let's get going."

They all grinned and quickly followed her as she rounded a corner. She wasn't lying to them if she just…didn't say anything, right? Neither option was great, really, but it was the only thing Claire could do right now. Would they want to go on if they knew the truth? Would they be willing to put the Time Gears at the summit? Claire wasn't sure, but she had no choice. If she held back know, the future would turn out just like the one they'd seen—and Claire couldn't _let_ that happen.

She'd been fine with this before. Claire had been okay with…_disappearing_ to save everyone. Was it just like dying, or would she not exist—never _have_ existed? If that happened, would everyone still remember her? Why had she just assumed she'd be fine? Claire _knew_ she was changing things, so—

"Claire, look out!" Felix shouted.

They'd entered another large room, and Claire almost hadn't noticed the Porygon swiftly approaching her. It crackled with electricity, preparing to fire off a Discharge. A Bonemerang from Rin cut it off, and Iris promptly finished the angular Pokémon with a Faint Attack.

Claire closed her eyes and shook her head as Porygon crumpled to the floor, paws tightening around the strap of her treasure bag. She needed to concentrate; now wasn't the time to space out. They'd _just_ had this conversation…

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rin said softly.

"Yeah," Claire sighed. "Let's go."

And, without looking back, she headed towards the staircase on the far side of the room and went to the next floor.

* * *

They were approaching the top now, Claire could tell.

More and more of the tower's inhabitants—guardians?—had tried to fend them off the further they went. Tremors had started rocking Temporal Tower about halfway in, and they got worse the higher Claire and her team climbed. Now, it was hard to get a good footing for more than a few minutes.

But they were near the end now; they had to be.

Claire was breathing heavily by the time they reached the pinnacle. Everyone was worn out from all the fighting they'd done, but they couldn't let their guard down now. She scanned the area; Dialga had to be there somewhere. Maybe he wasn't Primal yet, though. Maybe they could just _talk_ to him, and—

The area suddenly went dark, and Felix yelped as he grabbed Claire's arm. She looked around frantically. There was another strong rumble, and she almost lost her footing. Then, there was a bright flash of light, and a roar shook the air.

"Th-that's…" Felix was frozen, eyes wide, as he stared at something up ahead of them. "N-no, we're not too late, are we?"

Dialga was standing near an altar at the other side of the pinnacle, and he roared again as he took several rumbling steps towards them. Claire swallowed; he was the same purple and gold that he'd been in the future, not the natural blue and silver they'd seen in that mural down at the Old Ruins. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she'd expected. If time was starting to go wrong here, of course there'd be something wrong with Dialga, too. But…

"YOU!" he shouted. "YOU DARE TO COME HERE? TO VIOLATE THIS PLACE?! I CANNOT ALLOW THAT!"

"No, we're trying to help you!" Iris yelled. "If you'll just let us fix things—"

"YOU LIE! YOU CANNOT CHANGE THINGS NOW! I WON'T ALLOW IT!"

He'd lumbered closer as he spoke, and now he was towering over them. Claire stumbled backwards, trying to put some more space between her and Dialga. She'd never heard him speak when they were in the future. Granted, they'd only been in his presence for a few minutes, if that. _But, still_…

Maybe, somewhere deep inside him, that meant there was a chance he could still be reasoned with. Maybe it meant he had _some_ rational thought left. They could hope; they _had_ to try. But, as he raised a claw and rammed it into the ground, dangerously close to where she'd just been, it was clear they'd have to fight through him first.

"Everyone, get ready!" Claire called as she swerved to the side. "And be careful!"

With that, they fanned out and went on the attack.

Dialga roared, and Claire watched his massive claws swung through the air. Rin barely dodged, swinging back with a Bone Club. Iris darted in and out with Needle Arm and Faint Attack, occasionally shaking it up with Absorb. At first, it did little more than annoy the massive dragon, but it added up. And although she could really only get one leg at a time, Iris's swift hits did their job of throwing him off balance.

He swung around, striking with his tail—all four of them were easily swatted away, and Claire rolled backwards as she skidded across the floor. Broken floor tiles caused as many nicks and bruises as Dialga's strike did, and she was out of breath, wheezing and gasping for air. She staggered to her feet, vaguely aware of Felix frantically punctuating his Embers with Thunder Punches. Then a few more hits, and—

Another massive roar rent the air, and everything seemed to shatter around her. Claire froze, unable to move, her vision blurring as time stood still. And then Dialga was left still and panting, too spent from whatever he'd just done.

She staggered; Felix caught her, despite looking just as haggard, and Claire was able to fire off a Thunderbolt. Finally, she was able to _do something_. Given his size and resistance, it didn't do much damage, but maybe it would at least stun him—

The fight raged on, her teammates dancing around Dialga and doing what they could. Individually, it wasn't much, but maybe—_maybe_—it would add up. Felix rolled backwards from another return attack, eyes wide and unfocused; Claire tossed him a Reviver Seed. Iris had somehow gotten up on Dialga's back, firing off her usual enthusiastic strikes, and he roared and flailed around and tried to knock her off.

Despite the Cacnea getting sent flying, Rin and Claire had an opening. They looked at each other, nodded, and launched simultaneous Bonemerang and Water Pulse moves. And once Rin's club swung back around and hit Dialga the second time, he staggered forward with his eyes rolled back in his head.

Had they done it? Was he finished? Finally, Dialga crashed to the floor with a heavy thud, limbs twitching before he settled in an unconscious heap. Iris slowly sat up, rubbing her head and squinting at Dialga's prone form.

"Uh, he's out," she mumbled, voice slurred a bit from her semi-conscious state. "He's done, so, like…go…do the thing, or whatever."

Claire's heart pounded; Iris was right, but they had to go. _Now_. Before he got up again. Just in case—

The Time Gears were in her bag. She'd collected them after Leaf had scattered them for anyone to take. It was _her_ job; she'd come back here to do this. She ran around Dialga, stumbling again when she reached the stairs to the altar.

Felix was there again, supporting her, and somehow she managed to take one of the gears from her bag. Claire reached up, set it into one of the spaces carved out perfectly for it, and it clicked in securely. She grabbed a second one, and it clattered to the ground. Felix picked it up and put it in, and between the two of them, they were able to put all five gears in place.

At first, there was silence. Then, a heavy tremor rocked the tower, and the two of them tumbled backwards, crashing into the floor behind them. There were a few loud crackling sounds that almost sounded like lightning, and Claire sat up woozily.

"Did it…did it work?"

Rin's voice was barely audible, but Claire heard her, and she hesitantly looked around. There were large cracks in the floor, and several pillars had crumbled and fallen over. But the Time Gears were still in the altar, glowing faintly. And behind them, there was the sound of Dialga stirring.

"It has," he said as he rose to his feet. "Temporal Tower has sustained heavy damage, but…things should go back to normal soon."

"So, um…you're okay now, too, right?" Iris said, wearing a slight frown. "You're got gonna attack us again?"

Dialga chuckled and shook his head. His darker coloration had slowly faded, and now it was back to normal. The light glinted off his blue and silver form, and there was an almost amused look in his eyes as he went on.

"No. I am fine now," he replied. "Here; let me show you something."

The gem on his chest plate glowed, and a beam of light charged out of it. A screen appeared in the sky in front of them, and they could see a forest, green and bright and rustling in the wind. Claire stepped forward for a closer look; the area looked so familiar, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it… Soon, it hit her.

"Oh! Is that Treeshroud Forest?" she said. "Last time we were there, it was so still and dark, but now…"

"Yes," Dialga confirmed. "Time should be back to normal there, as well as everywhere else it stopped. You…have done well here today. The four of you have saved us all, and I cannot express my gratitude enough."

Iris cheered, grabbing Rin and pulling her into a hug. The Cubone flailed around in surprise, and Claire giggled when Iris finally set her down. Felix smiled as he looked at them, and then he glanced back up at Dialga.

"It's too bad about the tower, but…"

"Do not worry; I should be able to repair it. It may take some time, but…I can do it."

"Oh…okay, then!" Felix nodded. "That's good. I guess we should get going, then."

"I will alert the tower's residents that you are on your way down." Dialga nodded as he spoke. "They will not attack you as you make your journey back. Again…I offer my thanks!"

The four of them smiled and waved as they turned back towards the stairs. For a moment, Claire almost thought things would be fine. She was still there with her teammates. Maybe she would have the chance to celebrate with them after all and enjoy the new world she'd helped create.

Then, there was a small flicker of light from her paw. Claire paused to look at it, but it had already stopped. Perhaps she'd just imagined it—but there it was again.

Iris called out to her from up ahead, and Claire scrambled after her team. She decided not to mention it as they made the trip down.

* * *

Somehow, Claire made it to Temporal Tower's base. She wasn't entirely sure how; her limbs had gotten heavier the further they went. And now, back at its entrance, she was so numb that she could barely move.

There was another flicker of light from her body. Claire swallowed, doing her best to ignore it. Everyone else had gotten ahead of her, and she needed to catch up. They were so close to the Rainbow Stoneship's dock now, but their voices were…so faint…

Claire staggered and collapsed, and Felix cried out in alarm as he spun around to look at her. Another small golden ball rose from her arm, and then a second one. Rin and Iris were watching her intently, eyes wide, but neither of them said anything.

"Claire?" Felix offered her a hand, but his voice was quivering. "What…what's going on?"

"I-I—" She swallowed again, frantically looking between her teammates. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry, but…I can't…I can't stay here anymore."

Everyone jumped, and Iris demanded, "What? Why not?"

"If—if the future's gone, then w-we are too," she replied faintly. "I didn't realize until Dusknoir said it, but…since we changed things…we don't really exist anymore."

There were more golden shimmers of light now, and Claire was surprised she'd managed to say that much. Honestly, she was lucky she'd even made it back down the tower. She'd half expected to disappear immediately, but at least now she had the chance to say something.

"B-but that's not fair!" Iris sputtered. "Come on, that can't be right. Maybe he was just lying again!"

However, it was clearly true. Claire was getting more and more light-headed, and she was almost translucent now. She was fading, faster than ever, and she knew she didn't have much time.

"I know," she croaked. "And…I'm sorry, but I can't do anything about it. All of you were so good to me, and I can't—" Another shimmer, and her voice cracked again. "Iris, you were always there to cheer me up with whatever you were doing. And Rin…you were the reliable one who kept us all going."

The two of them were smiling, but it was obviously weak. Claire could feel the tears streaming down her cheeks, and her vision blurred as she looked over at Felix. He was shaking—so hard—and he was gripping her so tightly she could actually feel it.

"Claire, you can't go! Y-you can't leave us—"

"I-I have to," she choked. "Felix…you gave me something to do and somewhere to go. It's thanks to you that I could do all of this. I will always, always appreciate that—"

"Me, too!" he wailed. "Y-you have no idea how much I depend on you!"

She laughed hollowly, shaking her head as Felix buried his face in her shoulder.

"No, you're stronger now. I know you are. But…Bruce…" There was another lump in her throat, one that was harder to speak through. "I don't know what he'll do… I'm leaving him behind again…and I lied to him this time."

He'd been _so sure_ they were coming back, and Claire could picture the Glameow's expectant smile one last time. Bruce was waiting for them back at the guild, just like all the other recruits were. And Claire didn't even get to say goodbye to him; at least her other teammates were getting that much.

"Tell him I'm sorry—"

There was one final shower of light from her body, and Claire couldn't feel Felix holding her anymore. Her vision went white, and then it slowly started to fade. She almost gone now.

For a few seconds, though, she could've sworn she saw something. There were Pokémon she recognized, cheering over the dawn of a new day, celebrating the rise of a sun they'd never had before. And she was there among them, for a few brief seconds.

Then, finally, everything went dark, and Claire's consciousness ceased to be.

* * *

She…was awake. Somehow, she was alive and almost conscious. Beneath her, Claire could feel the sand, and she could hear the soft motion of waves in the distance. And…voices? Claire heard…_someone_ speaking, but it was faint, so faint.

But then it was closer, and she could tell that there were two people—or Pokémon—approaching her. They were familiar voices; she knew them. Slowly, painfully, she sat up. Her limbs still refused to work, and it took her eyes a while to focus.

Felix and…Bidoof. They were staring at her with wide, confused eyes, and they were on the beach. It was the very same beach she'd woken up on before. Claire blinked, slowly raising her paws to her face. Still a Meowth, but she was somehow alive and real, or at least she thought she was real—

And then Felix flung his arms around her and started sobbing, and Claire knew she was really back.


	23. The Future of Darkness

**Author's Note:** Ah, special episode five... It's probably one of my favorite additions to Sky, and I have some very special things planned for the ending of this. Until then, I think I got Leaf's distrust of Dusknoir down pretty well. I also kind of allude to a personal hand-wave I have for why there's so much to do in this episode despite the fact that it's presented as happening all at the same time as the player's climb up Temporal Tower at the end of the game.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three: The Future of Darkness**

Leaf awoke to a dull-but-persistent throb in the back of his head and a shooting pain throughout his limbs.

That was…odd. He wasn't supposed to have woken up at all. Maybe he was dreaming. Then again, that didn't make sense, either. He couldn't dream if he didn't exist, could he?

Groaning, Leaf forced himself into a kneeling position and fully opened his eyes. He was greeted by a small outcropping of rocks and a large cliff face positioned under a dark, cloudy sky—all the same dull gray he'd been so familiar with before. That made sense, at least. If he was going to come back, of course he'd be here, in the future he'd come to know so well.

But did that mean—no, it couldn't. Claire couldn't fail, _wouldn't_ fail. Leaf knew better than that. But then, why was this world still here? Maybe it was just a few "days" ago, and the effects needed time to catch up, or…something. Dusknoir had said he'd been waiting for them for a while, hadn't he? So maybe it went in reverse, too.

That…wasn't too much more logical, but it was the only thing he could think of. Still, Leaf had to figure things out, get his bearings and—

His thoughts were cut off by a startled yelp. Several feet to his right, there was the prone form of Dusknoir; a few feet beyond him was a cowering Sableye. The smaller ghost stared at him, mouth slightly agape, before he started babbling awkwardly.

"Wheh… you're awake?! We haven't had time to…" He took a few steps backward before shaking his head. "No, I'm gonna get out of here. Bye!"

With that, Sableye turned around and fled. Leaf made some kind of ambiguous shout of annoyance as he tried to stand up. All he got for his efforts was a face full of dirt, as he promptly tumbled over the second he got into something resembling a standing position.

…Well, then; that was embarrassing. Leaf grumbled to himself as he tried to get up again. Of course; it was just his luck that one of the Sableye would still be hanging around. Still, if he could just _hurry up_, maybe he could leave before Dusknoir regained consciousness.

Leaf wasn't that lucky; his legs started cooperating just when Dusknoir began to stir. At the very least, Dusknoir looked to be in almost as bad of shape as he was, if not worse. He grunted, rolled over, and barely pulled himself into a sitting position. Leaf could see that his stomach was still smoking lightly, and he couldn't quite seem to close its mouth all the way. His eye narrowed as it settled on Leaf, and Dusknoir tried—unsuccessfully—to drag himself towards him.

"…_you_," he groaned, wheezing from just a few feet's effort. "What are you doing here? Stayed around to see if I'd make it?"

Leaf snorted. "I'm not that petty; I just woke up. I was trying to get out of here, if you don't mind."

"Ha! And what do you think you'll do in your condition?"

Well, Leaf supposed Dusknoir had a point. He glanced down at his body; it was still heavily bruised and decorated with scratch marks from that last fight. Maybe he'd have a difficult time getting around, but…he _had_ to do _something_. Leaf had to at least try.

"I'm…not sure." Leaf paused, taking a deep breath before going on. "But maybe…if I can figure out how close we are to Temporal Tower…I could find out where Primal Dialga is."

"Please." Dusknoir leaned against a nearby rock, folding his arms in obvious disapproval. "I doubt you could take on Master Dialga even if you were in good shape, never mind how you are now."

"I know that. But even if I'm just a distraction…it'd be better than nothing."

Dusknoir's eye managed to narrow further. "And what exactly does that mean?"

"It means what it sounds like." Leaf shrugged. "I have to make sure that Claire finishes our mission. And if I can slow Primal Dialga down, even if it's just a little, then it might keep him from sending someone else after her."

"Someone…else? Why would Master Dialga ever need to do that?"

Another snort. "Really, I know you're smarter than that, Dusknoir. Look at you; you've already failed twice, and you're in even worse shape than I am. Even if Dialga takes you back, you're in no condition to stop me."

"But I will, and I must," Dusknoir shot back. "I told you, I'm not going to sit back and let you kill us all."

"Will you let that go already?!" Leaf's temper flared, and he kneaded his forehead as he went on. "The research team found enough Pokémon who were okay with this for it to be worth it. None of the sane ones want to keep living like this. You've seen how it is, but you keep clinging to it anyway—it's almost sad."

He sighed, straightened up, and managed to take a few shaky steps. It wasn't great, but he was better than before; that would have to be good enough. Leaf took one more glance over his shoulder before he approached the crevice in the nearby cave wall.

"So…sit there and think about what you're doing," he said.

And then he was gone, too quickly to hear whatever Dusknoir's reply was. Leaf had to go, and he had to go _now_.

Well, he still wasn't _quite_ as fast as he would've liked. Leaf growled as he tried to make his body move properly. Trying to run just made him stagger and fall, and it was infuriating. But, no—he couldn't let himself get too caught up in his emotions. Not now, not when he had to figure out what was going on and outrun Dusknoir while he was at it.

And, unfortunately, he did run into wild Pokémon every now and then. The Flygon and Lunatone weren't too bad; Leaf could handle them reasonably well, particularly the latter, with enough shots of Leaf Blade and Absorb. (He found himself relying on Absorb often anyway; it wasn't much, but any little bit of energy he could get back helped.)

Still…he did run into a Toxicroak and a Honchkrow or two fairly late in. And those fights didn't go nearly so well. Leaf found himself staggering away from the Toxicroak, wheezing and clutching his arm. He didn't think it was broken, but the frog had slammed him into the wall after hitting him with some Poison move, and he'd hit his arm pretty hard.

Leaf could only be grateful that he'd thrown the Time Gears to Claire instead of tossing out his whole bag. He had a few healing items available (though fewer than he'd really like), and he managed to dig out his sole Pecha Berry after a few seconds of fumbling. Then, an Oran Berry—and, after Leaf ate both of them, he almost felt something resembling "normal" again.

It was another small mercy that the dungeon itself wasn't too long. Leaf came out into a small clearing, and he took a second to rest and get his bearings. If he looked closely, he thought he could see a small shape in the sky, floating up above the plains in the distance. Was that Temporal Tower? If so, he'd at least gotten lucky enough to arrive in the Hidden Land. If he could just find a way to get up there, then Leaf could see whether or not Primal Dialga was still there. And that would be a start.

Leaf nodded to himself and started walking again. If he set out now, he might be able to get there in a decent amount of time. After a few seconds, though, Leaf thought he heard something behind him. It would be best to take care of that now, just in case he ran into more trouble later. He turned around, eyes widening when he was met by…

"_Dusknoir_? How did you follow me all the way here?"

The Ghost-Type was breathing heavily, and he paused to rest an arm against a nearby tree. He really didn't look like he was in any shape to be moving, never mind catching up with Leaf so quickly. But he'd managed it somehow. At least it might be easy to knock him out in his condition.

"I told you," Dusknoir snarled, or at least attempted to snarl, "that I'm not going to let you do this!"

Leaf sighed, but before he could formulate a decent reply, he was cut off by more noise. There was a particularly loud rustling, and suddenly a bunch of Sableye surrounded them. Four altogether, it looked like. This…wasn't good. Leaf might've been able to fight Dusknoir by himself, but he wouldn't be able to handle that many Sableye, too…

"Wheh-heh! We found him!" one of them said gleefully. "We found Lord Dusknoir!"

"We found both of them!" another corrected. "Lord Dusknoir and Grovyle both!"

"Let's go, wheh-heh!"

One of the Sableye dashed towards him, and Leaf didn't have time to think as he rolled out of the way. All he could concentrate on was getting rid of one enemy at a time. The ghost staggered around comically as his attack missed, and Leaf took the chance to tear into the ground beneath him. He arose several feet away, startling a couple more Sableye as he crashed into one of them. _Dig_—then he spun around and struck another with a Leaf Blade, finishing off his target with an Absorb.

There, that took care of two of them. Leaf would've thought that was far too easy if he weren't so exhausted. That had taken too much out of him; he was still vulnerable. There were two more left, and—

"_What_ do you think you're doing?!"

—one of them had just taken a slash at Dusknoir. Leaf's eyes widened again; this was his chance. If they were splitting their attention, he might be able to do this after all. Sure, Leaf had no earthly idea what was going on, but he wasn't going to argue with the opportunity.

One was now distracted with his…possibly former boss, and Leaf dove towards the Sableye who'd tried to attack him earlier. He slammed into him, and Sableye responded with a sharp Fury Swipes of his own. Leaf grunted as he staggered back; that left too many cuts on his body to count, and he was stinging all over. If he wasn't careful, the imp would have him. Sableye darted forward again, and Leaf quickly stretched out a claw, holding Sableye in place at the end of it.

"Wheh, let me go!" he cried, arms flailing wildly.

"Sorry, can't do that," Leaf grunted.

He closed his eyes as a pale green light surrounded his claw. It spread to Sableye, and Leaf could feel the ghost's movements slowing down. A few of his cuts started to heal up, and some of his energy started returning. One more pulse of Absorb, and then Sableye crumpled to the ground. _Whew_—Leaf could move considerably better now, and he turned around to look for Dusknoir.

Somehow, he'd taken care of the Sableye harassing him as well, though he looked far worse than he had before. Dusknoir glanced around, taking in the unconscious Sableye scattered around them, and his eye fell on Leaf. He hovered towards him, but he cringed from the effort and had to rest again.

"I believe I owe you, as much as I hate to admit it."

"I wasn't trying to help you," Leaf replied disdainfully. "I was just trying to keep them off me. Why were they attacking you?"

Dusknoir sighed, glancing aside before he went on. "Perhaps…you may have been right… Maybe they're listening to someone besides me now."

"See?" Leaf couldn't help feeling satisfied at the admission. "Now that we've cleared up, maybe my trip will be easier now. You won't follow me knowing that, will you?"

"Actually," Dusknoir said coolly, "I would still like to make my way to Temporal Tower. I need to speak with Master Dialga and see what's going on."

Leaf folded his arms. "Well, whatever makes you feel better… Just don't try and tag along with me. I don't need you causing trouble."

"Are you sure about that? We both want the same thing, at least for now. And you know you wouldn't have gotten through that on your own."

Leaf scowled. It sounded like Dusknoir was, in fact, trying to pair up with him. That wasn't something Leaf was comfortable with, even in his current state. Besides, even if Dusknoir was willing to cooperate for now—and that was a very big _if_—there was no telling what would happen after that.

"I think you'll have to forgive me if I don't trust you," Leaf said eventually. "As much as I'd like the help, you'll probably just turn on me as soon as we get there."

"I'm not doing _anything_ until I _actually talk_ to Master Dialga. Surely you realize that."

"Yes, and then what?" Leaf snapped. "Provided he takes you back, then it'll be me against both of you! And that will hurt my odds of—"

Dusknoir sighed. "Yes, yes, you need to help your dear human. Or your dear Meowth, in this case. But I suggest you make your decision before the Sableye get up—then you'll have to deal with them again. Shall we go together or not?"

Leaf narrowed his eyes as he looked around. Dusknoir was right about that, at least; they couldn't afford to dawdle. He ground his teeth and closed his eyes. The situation was terrible no matter how he looked at it, but Leaf didn't really have any options right now. Finally, he darted towards the edge of the clearing, glancing over his shoulder at Dusknoir.

"Fine; you can come along as long as you can keep up," he said. "But keep in mind that the instant you do anything suspicious—"

"You'll cut me down; yes, I know." Dusknoir sighed again as he started following Leaf. "But…I suppose I should thank you, nonetheless."

The second round of thanks caught him off guard, but Leaf chose not to reply. Maybe Dusknoir was trying to mess with him by acting…_almost_ polite. That had to be it. Leaf wasn't going to let Dusknoir confuse him like that. He _wouldn't_. No, he wasn't going to at all.

…All right, maybe Leaf _was_ being a little petty, at least for now. As long as Dusknoir didn't do anything, they'd be all right. There always was the possibility that Primal Dialga really had replaced him with someone else. And if that was the case, Leaf would _probably_ be okay.

Still…he didn't like not knowing. And, as they approached another dungeon, Leaf thought grimly that now was really not the time to be unsure. But what choice did he have? With one more glance over his shoulder—Dusknoir was still following him, silently and warily—Leaf shook his head and kept going.

Just before they slipped inside, Dusknoir broke the silence. "You're sure you're up for this?"

"Don't pretend to be concerned," Leaf muttered. "Besides, we don't have much of a choice, unless you know a faster route there?"

Dusknoir shrugged, and Leaf frowned before darting ahead of him. At least now he could move slightly faster, for whatever that was worth. Still…he'd felt rather childish with that response. Leaf had admittedly always had an impatient streak, but getting so snappy was…a little embarrassing. He shook his head; he was sure he'd get over it eventually, but there was a nagging sensation in the back of his head nonetheless.

As they rounded a corner in the next hallway, Leaf stumbled backwards. He stopped himself just short of bumping into Dusknoir, but he hadn't seen the Solrock coming. Dusknoir's hand was on his shoulder, steadying him—Leaf flinched at the touch, rolling aside to avoid Solrock's Psywave attack. Ugh, why had that gesture unsettled him so much? He could still _feel_ the hand on his back.

Still, Leaf scrambled back to his feet, swinging his leaves down on the Rock-Type for a Leaf Blade. Solrock spun around, attempting to launch another psychic move. It clattered to the ground a few seconds later, however, and Leaf could see a few remaining wisps of a Shadow Ball in Dusknoir's hands.

"You _must_ be careful," he admonished. "You may be getting faster, but that's not enough."

"I'm fine!" Leaf snapped. "Don't lecture me!"

Dusknoir sighed gustily. "Fine, if you insist. Just watch where you're going."

Leaf huffed in response and picked up his pace. So much for calming down; now he felt even more foolish. Still…Dusknoir was helping him, and that was something. Wasn't it? He couldn't shake the feeling that Dusknoir just wanted something from him, but…well, this was going marginally better than he'd expected.

They managed to get a decent way through the wasteland without too much trouble. Leaf handled the Solrock and occasional Onix well enough, while Dusknoir took care of all the Gastly and Shedinja. While they went, Leaf watched Dusknoir out of the corner of his eye. Even when he wasn't in the best of shape, Dusknoir was still plenty strong. It might be something he had to watch out for later, but…for now, it was helpful.

Finally, they approached a wide clearing, and Leaf sighed as they slipped out of the dungeon. He sank down to the ground, pulling another Oran Berry out of his bag. While he'd scavenged a few half-wilted berried and seeds from Dark Wasteland—as most of the food here was—his assortment of items was still rather motley. Leaf would make do, but he couldn't help frowning as he ate the berry nonetheless.

His eyes drifted up to Dusknoir again; the ghost had an odd look on his face. "…What, do you want one?"

Dusknoir raised a hand to silence him. "No, I hear something. …Hide."

Leaf nodded, claws digging into the ground as Dusknoir slipped behind a nearby tree. Once he'd dug a sufficiently deep hole, Leaf paused to listen. He heard footsteps that were accompanied by minor clicks. Something with sharp nails or claws of some sort, probably.

Leaf craned his neck, shifting around to get a better look at whatever was coming. Then, he saw a flash of purple on the edge of his vision. It was a Sableye. Abruptly, Leaf leapt out of his hole and whipped a claw out towards the little imp. It wasn't enough to hurt, but it did its job of surprising Sableye well enough; he yelped and tried to scramble away from Leaf with little success.

"W-wheh! Grovyle! Let me go!" he wailed, flailing around uselessly.

Leaf's grip on Sableye's arm tightened. "Sorry, can't let you go. I want to ask you something."

"And so do I."

Dusknoir floated out from the shadows, and Sableye's agape mouth indicated that his eyes would be widening if they were capable of such. Instead, he just kind of whimpered pathetically as Leaf glanced around for a more convenient conversation spot. Soon, Leaf noticed a small alcove in a rock wall up ahead, and he dragged Sableye over to it.

He let Sableye go when they got there, and Dusknoir was close behind them. Sableye looked between the two of them, probably wondering if he had a decent chance of fleeing. Leaf crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes, and Sableye jumped at the expression before backing up against the wall. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get him to talk if he was so easily-intimidated.

"All right, let's not waste any time here," Leaf started. "You're listening to someone, aren't you? And it's clearly not _him_—" he jerked a thumb towards Dusknoir as he went on— "so who is it?"

Sableye huffed and looked away. "I'm not gonna tell you! Why _should_ I tell you?"

There was a loud thud, and a few pebbles crumbled from the rock wall, floating out awkwardly about an inch or two from their previous resting place. Sableye shrieked, and even Leaf jumped at the noise. Dusknoir had rammed his fist into the wall, and he left it there as he glared at the smaller Pokémon.

"Tell us, unless you would like to be next," he growled.

"Okay! Fine! I'll tell you, wheh-heh!" Sableye's voice had risen an octave or two, but he went on nonetheless. "M-Master Dialga…he told us to go after Lord Dusknoir! I swear! W-we didn't want to, but…Master Dialga is e-even scarier than Lord Dusknoir, so…"

Dusknoir's arm fell to his side, and his eye widened. Leaf paused, shrewdly looking him over. He knew Dusknoir was a decent enough actor, but the shock seemed real. He'd been so dead-set on speaking with Primal Dialga that the idea of being cast aside must have genuinely seemed absurd to him despite Leaf already having brought it up.

"Master Dialga would never abandon me! That's absolute nonsense," Dusknoir sputtered.

"I-it's true! I swear!"

Leaf eyed the Sableye next. "All right, then. One more question. If Primal Dialga has turned on Dusknoir…does he have anyone else following him now? Anyone he might try to…send back in Dusknoir's place?"

The Sableye was quiet for a while. It almost seemed like he wasn't going to answer, and Leaf growled at him in annoyance. When that didn't do the trick, Dusknoir swung at him again—and he rolled out of the way just in time to avoid having his head smashed into the wall.

"Okay! Okay! I'll talk, wheh!" Sableye took a few deep breaths, looking away as he went on. "There's…someone else who _wanted_ to, but…Master Dialga says she's not strong enough. So…he's looking for another one. He picked out a new henchman, and…he's gonna send them back to the past next!"

"What?" Leaf's eyes widened. "How could he have picked out someone else so quickly?"

"That's all I know! I swear! Now lemme go!"

Leaf sighed. "Fine. Get out of here. Just hurry up and go!"

The Sableye scrambled away, whimpering all the while. Leaf stared at him as he went, trying to process all of that information. So he was right about Dialga wanting to send someone else after Claire, at least. But to have picked someone out already…they might not have as much time as he'd hoped. Leaf had to get to Temporal Tower, and soon.

One thing had struck him as odd, though. Leaf glanced over at Dusknoir as he attempted to sort out his question. Dusknoir still had his hand against the wall, but the other had come up to rest weakly against the side of his head. He'd started shaking, and Leaf wasn't sure if he was paying attention. He cleared his throat loudly before going on.

"Wait, what did he mean, there's one other who tells them what to do?" Leaf asked uncertainly. "And why would Dialga go to all the trouble of picking someone else out when he could just send her back?"

"I…can't say." Dusknoir took a deep breath. "There _is_ someone else who works with them, but she's not as highly-ranked as I am. Perhaps Master Dialga really didn't think she was strong enough. However…" He shook his head. "Me, being replaced…it's…completely ludicrous! We need to go and…"

"Go and what, exactly?" Leaf raised a brow. "You really think Primal Dialga will speak with you if he's already picked out your replacement?"

"I have to be sure!" Dusknoir snapped. "Besides…you still want to see if Master Dialga is at Temporal Tower, don't you?"

"I guess you're right there." Leaf sighed. "We have to hurry, though. Are we close?"

Dusknoir nodded. "The tower isn't far from here. And we should have enough of a pathway for you to get up there as well. Let's go."

"Lead the way, then."

Dusknoir silently beckoned at him, and Leaf hesitantly followed. There was still something nagging at him—the other Pokémon Sableye had mentioned. He knew Missy had to be working for Dusknoir in some capacity; she'd told him where to find Michelle, and she'd been at the stockades. The Misdreavus had almost slipped his mind for a while, but…now she was coming back. And Leaf had a pressing sense of wrongness about the whole thing.

But it was a wrongness that he couldn't quite name. Missy really didn't seem like the type to do things herself, after all. Maybe Sableye had meant it when he said she wasn't strong enough. In that case, it'd make sense that Dialga wouldn't want to send her on a large-scale mission.

But if it wasn't Dusknoir, and it wasn't Missy…then who _was_ this new henchman? It had to be _someone_, but—

"We're here."

Leaf blinked; he'd been so distracted that he hadn't noticed they'd almost reached Temporal Tower. It seemed they really had been close after all. There were several frozen boulders leading up to the tower itself, and Leaf jumped from one to another on his way up. Dusknoir was close behind him, and he paused as he gave Leaf a look over.

"It seems your agility is coming back," he commented idly. "I take it you'll be able to make it up there just fine?"

Leaf shrugged. He still wasn't at full capacity, but he _was_ starting to feel better.

"I suppose. How about you?"

Dusknoir looked himself over. "Well…I'll manage. Shall we go on, then?"

He responded with another shrug and a nod. Well…it was time. Leaf took a deep breath as he stepped through the crumbling doorway of Temporal Tower. They entered into a narrow hallway that emptied out into a larger room, and Leaf couldn't help thinking of Claire as he walked.

Was she climbing Temporal Tower in the past right now? If so, then things would start changing soon enough. He might not have 'needed' to do this, in that case. But Leaf couldn't sit back and wait, not when they were so close.

Besides…if Leaf was right in assuming that Dusknoir had spent a few days waiting for them, maybe Claire hadn't reached Temporal Tower yet. For all he knew, maybe it was still a few days ago in the past. In that case, maybe Claire and her friends were still in Brine Cave—or it could've been even earlier. And in that case, he _did_ need to hurry.

Ugh…thinking of all of these possible temporal paradoxes was giving Leaf a headache. Regardless of what Claire was doing right now, he needed to concentrate. His thoughts had carried him a little ways into the tower, and Dusknoir was still quietly following him. The silence was almost more unnerving than a conversation would've been, and Leaf curiously cast a glance over his shoulder.

"Oh, do you not like having me behind you?" Dusknoir commented dryly. "Unless you trust me to lead instead…"

There was a faint tingling sensation on the back of his neck, but Leaf chose to ignore it. "No, it's fine. Let's hurry."

…If Dusknoir was trying to make him nervous, Leaf wasn't going to fall for it. That could've been his attempt at a joke, but it was hard to tell. Either way, Leaf shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

And just in time—they'd arrived in another large room, and a Golbat fluttered down towards them. She screeched as she dove towards Leaf, and he swerved to the side. He didn't entirely dodge her—Golbat's wing clipped his side, and he grunted as he stumbled backwards. Nonetheless, he recovered and rammed into her with a Quick Attack, and Dusknoir finished her off with an Ice Punch.

Leaf sighed as Golbat crumpled to the floor. At least Dusknoir was cooperating with him, and he'd take it. The rest of the climb was relatively uneventful, barring another encounter or two with the tower's residents. Leaf could only hope things stayed that way; he didn't know what to expect at the summit, after all.

They found a decent place to rest about halfway up Temporal Tower, and Leaf idly rubbed his claws over his legs as he sat down. His limbs had a lot more life in them now, and any injuries he'd sustained from his earlier fight with Dusknoir had reduced down to a dull throb, if that. Leaf hoped that meant he'd be in good enough condition to fight, if necessary, but potential three-on-one odds weren't promising…

He spared another look at Dusknoir, who was currently resting against a wall with his eye closed. Even if Primal Dialga didn't take him back…would he fight against Leaf anyway? Leaf wasn't sure. He stood up and strode towards the way leading forward. Dusknoir seemed to have heard him approach, as he opened his eye when Leaf got closer.

"Are you ready to go on?"

"As much as I can be." Leaf frowned. "Listen, though…you don't think we'll find this new follower up at the top, do you?"

"I can't say." Dusknoir shrugged. "Though I _can_ tell you that I do not intend to be friends with them. Should anything happen up there, I will prioritize them over you."

"Well, that's…comforting."

Leaf snorted as he turned around and kept going. It _was_ comforting to some degree, but in some ways it wasn't. He wasn't sure if he should be look for any deeper meanings in that, but Leaf figured he should concentrate on what was ahead of him first.

The tower's guardians got tougher the further in they went. All of the Crobat and Alakazam proved difficult, and Leaf was glad they mostly encountered them one or two at a time. It could've been much worse, but he was antsy when they finally arrived at Temporal Tower's pinnacle.

At first, there was nothing but silence. Leaf was greeted by a stretch of empty, damaged flooring that faded out into darkness in the distance. Broken pillars decorated the ground ahead of them, and Leaf carefully stepped around the damaged pieces of one near him. There were deep cracks past that, and they got bigger further back. Finally, they were met with a large gaping hole, and Leaf squinted at it—he couldn't make out the floor below, so who knew how long of a drop it was.

"…Is this where Primal Dialga usually is?" he asked.

Dusknoir nodded. "Yes, I thought he'd be here. But…he doesn't seem to be…"

Leaf waited, taking a step or two backwards. He couldn't be too sure; maybe Dialga was just…hiding somewhere, or…something. Maybe the Temporal Pokémon would teleport in at the single most inconvenient time. It could be some sort of trick.

But when he was met with nothing but more silence, Leaf believed that Dialga really wasn't there. That begged the question of where he was instead, though. The encounter at Dusk Forest, back when Team Shadow had been in this world with him, was one of the only times he'd ever heard of Dialga personally leaving the Tower. And if he wasn't there, then…Leaf couldn't shake the idea that something _very, very bad_ was about to happen.

"If he isn't here, then…where do you think he is?" Leaf asked slowly. "What reason would he have to leave this place?"

"Well, I can think of one good reason." Dusknoir frowned. "If I was Master Dialga, and I was worried about how things were going in the past…I would want to make sure no one could get back there, don't you think? Perhaps he thought it wise to check the nearest Passage of Time and make sure no one was there."

The observation was a simple, logical one, but it hit Leaf like a sack of rocks. His eyes widened as he brought a claw to his mouth. The only Passage of Time he knew of was the same one he'd used both times he'd gone back to the past—the one in Dusk Forest. And that was one of Celebi's favorite places to stay anyway, when she wasn't with someone else.

So that meant—

"Celebi," he whispered. "We have to make sure Celebi's all right—"

Dusknoir nodded. "Here—let's go. I can take us part of the way."

He rested a hand on Leaf's back and closed his eye. Soon, dark streaks began to envelope them, and Leaf had the rather awful sensation that he was being melted. It was so different from teleporting with Celebi or Jirachi, but somehow even less pleasant.

Then, the shadows completely swallowed them up, and Leaf's vision was too blurred for him to focus. His heartbeat rapidly sped up as they began to fade away from Temporal Tower. He should've been grateful they had a convenient way of getting to Dusk Forest more quickly, but…

Leaf could only hope that his fears would be unfounded. Celebi had to be safe.

…She _had_ to be.


	24. Purpose

**Author's Note:** More special episode five; we're not done with this yet. I particularly liked writing this part from Dusknoir's point of view, though, because we have some more ignored epiphanies, as well as dancing around a reveal that will come next chapter. Also, him repeatedly commenting on Leaf's condition is probably just Dusknoir doing the usual and trying to convince himself that things are going on track (YMMV on how successful he is, of course). ...Though it was weird to me actually using "Grovyle" here since I'm so used to referring to him as Leaf by now, but Dusknoir may or may not actually know his name, so there you go.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Purpose**

It was almost too easy, how well this had gone so far.

Dusknoir could tell Grovyle didn't completely trust him yet. That much was obvious; cautious as he was, the Grass-Type wasn't very good at hiding his emotions. But he hadn't asked nearly as many questions as Dusknoir had expected, and he'd let him tag along thus far.

If it hadn't been exactly what he'd hoped for, Dusknoir would've been suspicious. But, as it stood, he was instead silently celebrating.

The two of them materialized near Dusk Forest, and Dusknoir idly stretched his arms as Grovyle staggered around awkwardly. Traveling through the shadows like that was always trickier with more than one Pokémon, and it left him feeling numb for a few…well, not 'seconds,' really, but the expression was close enough. Still, Dusknoir got over it quickly enough, and he glanced over at his current charge.

"Are you all right?"

He couldn't have Grovyle losing his steam just yet, after all. However, his doubts were dispelled by the huffy expression he got in return. Grovyle's reactions shifting from cold to childishly snappy were…almost entertaining, in a way. It honestly reminded Dusknoir of Missy—a thought which put a rare pang of guilt in his chest. He pushed that aside when Grovyle replied verbally, though.

"I'm perfectly fine! Now hurry up—we've got to find Celebi!"

Grovyle immediately took off, darting through the trees ahead of them. He was just as fast as ever by now, Dusknoir thought as he moved to keep up. Good; he'd need that later. Dusknoir wasn't sure how much of it was his actual strength returning and how much of it was Grovyle's sheer stubborn determination, but he supposed the two were close enough to make little practical difference.

At any rate, at least Dusknoir was able to follow him well enough. His own strength was returning bit by bit, but he still had a dull throb in his stomach every now and then. It was minor enough that he was generally able to push it aside, though. And besides, he thought as his eye lingered on Grovyle, if all went according to plan, then it wouldn't matter for much longer anyway.

It was also fortunate that Grovyle seemed to know the forest well enough. Dusknoir had been through Dusk Forest a handful of times himself—in search of Celebi, of course—but it meant Dusknoir could let him lead. Giving Grovyle the illusion of freedom was important. It also meant that Grovyle knew what to expect when it came to fights.

While he wanted to delay things here and there, Dusknoir needed Grovyle in top condition, and he needed it soon. However, Grovyle could handle the hordes of Rhyperior and Hippowdon well enough, which made it easier for him to build his strength back up. Dusknoir watched carefully as he took out the occasional Haunter and Drifloon with Shadow Ball; yes, Grovyle seemed to be doing just fine. Perfect.

Finally, they arrived at the clearing in the middle of Dusk Forest. Grovyle looked around wildly, panting for air as he took a few steps forward. He probably didn't want to make too much noise, but he proceeded to shout for his friend anyway.

"Celebi?" Grovyle called. "…Celebi, are you there?"

He was met with silence—of course he was. Dusknoir remained quiet himself, eyeing Grovyle as the Grass-Type crept a little further away. The nerves were getting more obvious in his posture now; he was hunched over slightly and looking around more rapidly.

"She's…not answering," Grovyle muttered. "Maybe she's hiding somewhere else, or…"

"Maybe she got caught," Dusknoir suggested, trying to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

"She wouldn't get _caught_!" Grovyle snapped, jerking around to look at him. "Not even by Primal Dialga, and especially not by the Sableye! She just has to be in another one of her usual spots, is all…"

There was something in the tone of his voice towards the end that suggested maybe Grovyle doubted it. Dusknoir felt a small twinge of satisfaction at the uncertainty creeping onto his face, but he kept his own expression impartial as he went on.

"Well, maybe we could spare the time to check one or two of these 'usual places,' if it would make you feel better…"

Grovyle sighed. "I'd really like to be sure, but—"

"Wheh-heh! There they are!"

He was cut off by the cackling of several Sableye. Six of them this time, and they were right on cue. Grovyle hissed at them as his eyes narrowed, and he automatically raised his claws into a defensive stance. Dusknoir carefully turned around and backed towards him, glancing around at the pack of Sableye closing in on them.

They knew what was going on, and he knew they hadn't been too offended at his part in their last fight. Dusknoir also knew they wouldn't be too upset if he had to get rough here, either. It was the perfect opportunity to get a better view of Grovyle's condition—which was exactly the point.

But Dusknoir couldn't say any of that aloud, nor could he do anything to give away the full plan. Fortunately, he was spared having to speak when Grovyle did it for him.

"We don't have time for this!" he growled. "Get out of our way!"

"Never, wheh-heh-heh!" one of them cackled.

"Dusknoir, watch yourself! Here they come!"

He smirked lightly before replying, "You don't have to tell me that, Grovyle!"

With that, he swung a fist at the nearest approaching Sableye, ice crystals forming around his fingers. Dusknoir's eye widened slightly—his swing was a bit stronger than he'd intended, and the Ice Punch came quickly enough that it struck the imp square in the face. The smaller Pokémon staggered back with a yelp before crumpling to the ground.

…Well, Dusknoir supposed that was a good thing. The punch had admittedly been satisfying. It seemed he was finally starting to recover from that little trick Claire and her friends had pulled back at the Rainbow Stoneship. And that thought alone was enough for him to take another enthusiastic swing at the next Sableye. He was sent flying, waving his arms around as he crashed into his nearly-unconscious comrade.

Goodness, that felt nice. Dusknoir stretched as he glanced over his shoulder at Grovyle. The Grass-Type had taken care of one Sableye already, and was currently trying to shake one off that had clamped down on his arm. A swift strike of Leaf Blade was enough to loosen the ghost's jaws, and it was followed up by an Absorb. Sableye staggered away, groaning and clutching his head, before falling to the ground.

Good—Grovyle was doing just fine. Still…there were two Sableye left, and they were both fast approaching him. Dusknoir quickly launched a Shadow Ball at one of them, and his surprised shriek startled the other. Grovyle blinked, but he didn't waste the opportunity. He rammed into the final Sableye, lashing out with another Leaf Blade. Dusknoir followed it up with an Ice Punch, air whizzing around his arm as the attack landed.

As the Sableye fell into an awkward sitting position, Dusknoir looked around to assess the damage. Most of them were still in semi-conscious heaps on the ground. They'd be fine soon, but the fight had done enough damage to satisfy Grovyle. He nodded as his eyes fell on the one Dusknoir had hit with Shadow Ball earlier. He was in the best condition of the lot, and he tried to scramble away from Grovyle, but he wasn't quite fast enough to do so.

"Wheh! Lemme go!" he demanded. "You already got everyone else!"

"Exactly; I just want to ask you something," Grovyle shot back. "And you'll answer if you don't want to end up like them!"

Sableye whimpered but nodded in response, and Grovyle immediately went on.

"Primal Dialga hasn't been here recently, has he? If you're here, and you're listening to either him or that new follower of his…then it seems likely that either one of them would be nearby."

Ah, so that had occurred to Grovyle after all. Dusknoir knew he wasn't stupid; it was only a matter of time until he started getting suspicious. Well, he supposed it spared him the trouble of having to make another show of asking himself.

Sableye gave him a toothy smirk before replying. "You're pretty smart, wheh-heh! Master Dialga was just here. I saw him go off with Celebi myself!"

"What?" Grovyle's eyes widened, and his grip on the ghost's arm tightened. "You're lying! There's no way he'd capture Celebi!"

"That hurts!" Sableye huffed. When Grovyle guiltily loosened his grip, he went on, "Anyway, you can believe me or not, wheh-heh… But don't you wanna be sure? You should go after them and find out yourself!"

"Fine, then—where'd they go?"

"I heard it was Frozen Island, but there's no way you're gonna get there quick enough," Sableye replied smugly. "Still, good luck and all that!"

Grovyle slowly released him, and Sableye promptly sped off. A few of the others started to stir, and they fled as well upon seeing their friend run away. Dusknoir ignored them to focus on Grovyle; he was staring off into the distance, not really looking at anything in particular. Then, his leaves started to shake, and he clenched his claws as he looked over at Dusknoir.

"We're too late. We were too late, and I failed Celebi," he muttered. "Whatever else happens…I need to help her. Where's Frozen Island?"

"It's far to the south of here." Dusknoir shrugged, rubbing the side of his head in pretend thought. "I can't get us all the way there, but…I should be able to get close. I know some Pokémon who can send us the rest of the way."

Grovyle sighed and nodded. "All right…I'm ready this time. Let's go."

Dusknoir nodded as well and put a hand on Grovyle's shoulder. He closed his eye and focused, feeling the long-cast shadows from the nearby trees shift and start to envelope them. It was a feeling he had long since gotten used to, and the dissolving sensation almost felt good to him. Still, Dusknoir could feel Grovyle cringing as the darkness swallowed them up—he supposed it would take him much longer to get used to.

(The fact that he'd never need to get used to it occurred to Dusknoir as they were whisked away, and he was glad that it was too dark for Grovyle to see the smirk crossing his stomach.)

Soon enough, they materialized on a cliff overlooking a steep drop into nothingness. Another cliff rose above them to the side, and there was a cavern entrance in front of them. Grovyle gasped for air as he looked around and got his bearings.

"What is this place?" he panted.

"I believe the Porygon call it the Spacial Cliffs," Dusknoir replied. He paused before adding, "That's who we're meeting with—the Porygon live on a plateau just beyond the cave, and they should be able to transmit us to Frozen Island."

"I suppose it was too much to send us straight to them," Grovyle muttered dryly.

"It _is_ harder to do that with multiple travelers. I beg your pardon, but there's nothing I can do about it."

"…Sorry. Let's go."

Oh? Dusknoir blinked as he let Grovyle take the lead again. He couldn't tell if the apology was genuine or simply out of obligation, yet it was somehow more than he expected. If nothing else, he supposed Grovyle's concern about Celebi was the real thing, so perhaps it was just bleeding over into his other reactions.

…It almost made him jealous, in a way. Dusknoir had only ever used his concerns about others to fuel his own shortcomings, after all. Worrying was an excuse to let things get worse, because they'd agree with the initial sentiment, right? At some point or another, Dusknoir had let "don't destroy those he cared about" turn into "well, his fear of death was okay if no one else wanted to die; therefore, he'd keep letting them suffer and feeding the cycle."

He paused. What was he thinking? No. Dusknoir was _not_ going to do this—not at this phase of the plan. He was too close—he was almost there! If they could just get to Frozen Island, then everything would be on course. Dusknoir was _not_ going to let a moment's doubt ruin everything! He shuddered, feeling repulsed at the twinge of emotion.

Up ahead of him, Grovyle had just knocked out a Banette. He turned slightly to look at Dusknoir, blinking. Ah, of course; he'd gotten behind somewhere in there, and Dusknoir shook himself and caught up.

"You were doing so well before; you're not feeling worse now, are you?"

"That's not concern I hear from you, is it?" Dusknoir chuckled, partly at the irony of his own words. "No; I've been feeling better, _thank you_."

"…Well, then, sorry I asked," Grovyle muttered.

There, that was better. Now Grovyle was back to the "cooperative but still mildly antagonistic" stage, and that was something Dusknoir could handle. Having the occasional enemy to fight helped, too. It was easy to focus on knocking out the local Haunter and Koffing—it was methodical and impersonal, after all.

And keeping things methodical and impersonal was what Dusknoir was good at, if only for coping's sake.

They finally arrived at the plateau on the opposite side of the cave, and it led to another sharp drop into nothingness. The pair of Porygon were there as expected, and they jumped upon seeing Dusknoir. He wasn't entirely sure how much they knew. Of course he'd had the Sableye tell them he was coming, and that Grovyle would be with him. Dusknoir hoped they hadn't said too much, though, just in case the Porygon spilled it.

"Ah—Lord Dusknoir, sir!" one of them said. "You, er…you _are_ with…"

Dusknoir stole a glance over his shoulder. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"N-no, of course not!" the other quickly added. "Where is it you're heading?"

"Frozen Island. I trust there's no issue with that?"

"O-of course not!" the first one replied. "Both of you stand over there, and we'll send you right away!"

Dusknoir nodded and gestured to Grovyle. The two of them moved between the Porygon, and the Normal-Types' eyes started to glow. Beams of light slowly moved over Dusknoir and Grovyle's bodies before they were enveloped in a bright flash.

It was a similar yet different feeling from his preferred method of transportation. There was the slight sensation of being dissolved, yet it was combined with a strange lurch that made Dusknoir feel like he was being flung a great distance. He'd only used it a handful of times, as it wasn't something he enjoyed much. Still, it worked—soon enough, they materialized in a wide field of snow.

Beside him, Grovyle grumbled something under his breath and shook himself. Dusknoir admittedly still felt numb in some places, and he idly stretched as he glanced around. They were still a little ways from their destination yet, but that was fine—it gave Master Dialga more time.

"…This is Frozen Island?" Grovyle said eventually.

Dusknoir nodded. "I believe it was called Blizzard Island in the past. Popular treasure hunting place, from what I've heard. Now, it's considered far too dangerous to even get in and out of without some kind of help, though."

Granted, it wasn't just due to damage from the paralysis, but Grovyle didn't need to know that. Dusknoir watched him glance around some more; finally, Grovyle shrugged and nodded at him.

"Well, I suppose that explains why they never got very far here," he muttered. "But I can't let that stop me from finding Celebi and Dialga."

Dusknoir blinked. "_They_?"

"Oh, it's nothing." Grovyle shook his head. "Come on."

Dusknoir stared at him contemplatively. Who would come here looking for something? Well, besides him and besides Master Dialga, of course. But—_oh_. Of course. Perhaps Claire and her family had come here at some point or another, in which case it was a miracle (for them, at least) that they'd even managed to get onto the island at all.

Ah, well; Dusknoir shook himself and hurried after Grovyle. Soon enough, Claire wouldn't matter; not really. Of course, she mattered in the sense that he'd have to find her and hope that she was still in the Hidden Land. But other than that…

No, she wouldn't matter very much at all after that. Dusknoir just had to keep himself focused, and stop worrying about insignificant details. He was fine.

They'd arrived near a steep mountain, and Grovyle had gotten ahead of him again. The path upwards was sharp and winding and littered with large patches of ice. Grovyle eyed the barely-visible trail before his eyes settled on a group of Snorunt nearby. Before Dusknoir could say anything, Grovyle had darted towards them and spoken up.

"Hey, you haven't seen anyone come by here, have you?"

The Snorunt simply stared at him before turning back towards each other and giggling. Grovyle waited for a little while before growling at them in annoyance. Finally, one of the Ice-Types turned back towards him and kicked some snow into Grovyle's face.

"Not gonna tell you!" he taunted. "See you, loser!"

With that, the trio cackled and bounced off. Grovyle shot a glare in their direction as he wiped the snow off his face. Dusknoir had remained silent throughout the conversation, watching with his brow raised. He knew Grovyle was concerned, but what had he expected?

"You know, you probably could've saved some time if you'd just ignored them," he mused. "It was naive to think they'd be helpful."

"I know," Grovyle groaned. "I just…if even the Sableye are cooperating, I thought…ah, never mind. Let's just go."

Dusknoir blinked as he followed the Grass-Type. He really thought the Sableye were 'cooperative'? Well, he supposed it would seem that way from Grovyle's point of view. Still…Dusknoir had a considerably harder time believing that anyone could trust random Pokémon. Not in this world, not even with Grovyle insisting his team had tried talking with everyone. His personal experience told him otherwise, after all.

Dusknoir shook his head as he floated over a particularly icy patch in the trail. Grovyle was…mostly doing okay. He tripped over a branch hidden in the snow drifts up ahead, though, hissing as he tried to catch his footing.

"…Are you hurt?" Dusknoir asked.

"I told you, I'm—_fine_!"

The last word wasn't so much snapped at Dusknoir as it was a yelp of surprise. A Gengar had materialized out of nowhere, and a pleased smirk crossed his face at Grovyle's obvious shock. He raised his hands, forming a Shadow Ball between them, and—

Dusknoir quickly rammed his fist into the move, splitting the orb and sending dark wisps flying out to the sides. Then, he formed a Shadow Ball of his own and launched it at the other ghost. It struck true enough, and Gengar apparently decided that the fight wasn't worth it. After skidding backwards, he glared and melted away into the shadows cast by a nearby boulder.

Grovyle was still breathing heavily as he straightened up. It seemed to be more surprise than anything; Dusknoir couldn't see any bruises on him. Good; jumping in had been worth it.

"I know, I know," Grovyle mumbled as he started walking again. "I'll be more careful."

A hint of amusement crossed through Dusknoir's voice. "I didn't say anything, you know."

"You were _thinking_ it!" Grovyle sighed before adding, "Sorry. You…almost sound like…well, never mind. Just…thank you."

He sounded like what, exactly? Like he cared? Dusknoir hoped so—that was the goal, after all. Grovyle trusting him would make the trip easier, and if it was finally happening…well, maybe Dusknoir was doing better than he'd thought.

"I don't need any thanks," he finally replied with a shrug. "I do need you in good condition, though—remember?"

"Yes, yes, you want my help taking down that new follower of Primal Dialga's. I'm not sure why I expected otherwise."

That…why did that sting? No; Dusknoir shook his head and kept following Grovyle. It didn't _sting_; he was being ridiculous again. He was supposed to be cold and precise and—

Dusknoir blinked; it seemed they'd reached the top of the mountain. They'd arrived on a large expanse of mostly flat land, peppered with the occasional boulder and chunk of ice. It was otherwise empty, and Dusknoir could tell the stillness was making Grovyle suspicious. The Grass-Type cautiously looked around as he advanced, as if expecting something to leap out at him at any moment.

"Is something the matter?"

Grovyle frowned. "I…thought I heard something, is all."

Dusknoir paused and glanced around. There was a slight rumbling sound in the distance, if he listened closely. It seemed far enough away to not matter—but then again, Dusknoir knew well that things weren't always what they seemed like here. The rumbling got closer, and the ground around them started to shake.

"Something's coming!" Grovyle shouted.

And he was too occupied trying to figure out what that something was to notice that the chunks of ice in the air were shaking as well. There was one not too far from Grovyle, and if it fell on him…it would be too much. Dusknoir couldn't have that.

It was just to keep Grovyle healthy, no other reason. Dusknoir shoved the Grass-Type out of the way to a less risky area—fewer boulders and ice shards to hit him—and the next thing he was aware of was being face first in the snow. Quite undignified, really; it was almost embarrassing. (Only _almost_; embarrassment was _also_ undignified, after all.)

And then there was a sharp, throbbing pain in his back, and he vaguely registered dozens of tiny ice shards on the ground around him. Quite a few of them were stained red for some reason. Ah, that had to be it; the larger chunk of ice must've shattered over his back, and he was probably bleeding. Dusknoir nodded—or would have, if he had the space to nod—at the explanation. That made sense.

And then Grovyle was shouting something again (at him, it sounded like), but the words weren't quite registering. Dusknoir slowly pushed himself upwards—it hurt to move—and only managed to get into a halfway kneeling position before there was another thud and a loud roar.

…They were surrounded. A large Mamoswine and several Glalie had leapt down from a nearby cliff; that must've been what caused the noise earlier. They were likely territorial, as were most wild packs of Pokémon; still, Grovyle was whipping around in an attempt to assess the odds. Multiple Ice-Types versus a Grass-Type and an already-injured partner didn't paint a very favorable picture.

Dusknoir silently cursed himself; maybe that little "heroic" stunt hadn't been a good idea after all. He was in no condition to fight, and it would be harder to ensure Grovyle made it through the battle safely. "Saving" him did no good if it just led to an even riskier situation.

But he had to do something, and Dusknoir finally managed to get himself in the air again. He hissed in pain as he attempted to fire off a Shadow Ball at the nearest Glalie. Even raising his arms too high caused another sting of pain through his back, and the orb petered out before he could fully form it.

"Get down! You can't fight. Just leave them to me!"

Dusknoir eyed his charge. Grovyle had managed to ram into one of the Glalie with a Quick Attack, and the larger Pokémon screeched as he tumbled through the air. After a good round of Leaf Blades, Grovyle sent Glalie flying, knocking him into one of his comrades. The first was unconscious, and the second was hopefully stunned enough that it would take him out of the fight for a while.

Still…there were two more, not to mention the Mamoswine. Grovyle wouldn't be able to handle them on numbers alone. Dusknoir closed his eye, sighing deeply. Focus on something smaller, easier to create…_there_. He'd managed to form a Will-o-Wisp in each hand, and he thrust them towards the two remaining Glalie.

The sudden movement caused more dull throbs throughout his body, but the attacks connected. There were more loud screeches as the Glalie jerked around and closed their eyes in pain. Maybe the burns affected the Ice-Types worse; Dusknoir wasn't sure. But it gave him an opening nonetheless, which he was grateful for. With more space between him and his opponents, Dusknoir had the time to properly form another Shadow Ball. Aim for one, create another orb, blast it at the second…the attempts left him gasping for air, but at least all of his attacks landed.

Meanwhile, Mamoswine had focused all of his attention on Grovyle. He was swinging his tusks around wildly, and Grovyle had done his best to dodge them until now. The side of one tusk slammed into him, sending him flying. Grovyle crashed into a boulder, letting out a pained groan as he struggled to sit up.

Dusknoir looked at him, then at Mamoswine. Two against one odds were considerably better, but they were both wounded. It would take some cooperation to do, but Grovyle met his gaze and nodded. If they both moved now, they'd have a chance.

Grovyle staggered to his feet, and the two of them charged towards Mamoswine. Leaf Blade, Ice Punch—Mamoswine roared in pain. Will-o-Wisp and Absorb—he howled, staggering aside. Finally, one last Leaf Blade, and he collapsed. The Glalie took one look at their nearly-unconscious leader and promptly fled the area, shrieking all the while.

Mamoswine weakly crawled after them, shooting a glare and a pained hiss at his attackers. Once he was a fair distance away, Dusknoir sighed—and promptly crumpled back to the ground. Grovyle immediately darted up to him, kneeling down and nudging his shoulder.

"How could you do that?!" he demanded. "That ice would've killed you if it was much larger! And you tried to fight after that anyway?"

Dusknoir chuckled weakly as he tried to sit up. "You're not…worried about me, are you?"

"I, uh…" Grovyle looked away awkwardly. "Well, that is…you need to rest up before we can go further. Let me see… Ah, I think I see a place. Can you move?"

Dusknoir slowly pulled himself upwards before falling back to the ground. Well, that answered that question. He shook his head, sighing.

"Maybe a bit, but…I'll need some help."

Grovyle simply nodded as he attempted to support Dusknoir. It was more than a little unwieldy, as Grovyle was considerably smaller than he was. Eventually, they reached a small alcove in a wall of ice up ahead. Dusknoir gingerly leaned up against it, cringing as the coldness stung his still sore back.

For a little while, Grovyle watched him silently. Then, he mumbled, "Thank you for saving me back there."

"I _saved_ you? Don't be ludicrous," Dusknoir replied, shaking his head in amusement. "I was still able to fight, after all. I'm sure you could have, too."

Grovyle frowned. "Barely. You think I didn't notice? Any more enemies, and you wouldn't have made it out of there."

Dusknoir shrugged. Maybe so, but it wasn't like he had a proper answer to that. It worked out in the end, hadn't it? And…Grovyle almost sounded genuinely concerned. If Dusknoir's stunt had actually made him grateful, then maybe it was worth it.

"Mm, I've had worse," he decided to say eventually. "Like that little trick you pulled on me back in the past. Thanks for that—it took me long enough to get over it."

"Well, if you still have the energy to complain, then you must not be so bad after all." Grovyle snorted. "And that was Iris's idea, if I remember correctly. You could at least 'thank' the right Pokémon."

Dusknoir blinked. "…Iris?"

"The Cacnea," Grovyle clarified. He smiled almost wistfully as he went on, "She's very…_interesting_. All of Claire's friends are good Pokémon, really. And if I can help them when we reach Dialga, then…all of this will have been worth it."

"…You know I don't share this sentiment, right? Why are you bringing this up now?"

Grovyle paused, shrugging. "Well, I just…technically we have the same goal right now, in a way. And you did save me back there, no matter what you say. I don't know… Something about that just kind of…got me feeling sentimental, or…something. I guess."

Honestly, his fumbling attempts at explaining his feelings were entertaining. Perhaps it would've been endearing from anyone else (and Dusknoir was again repulsed at his thoughts). For all of Grovyle's shrewdness, there was an awkward kind of earnestness beneath it all, and Dusknoir was a little bit jealous.

"Well, I don't see how anything that involves wiping myself from existence is worth it," he muttered. "I ask you again: are you really okay with that? Have you truly accepted it?"

There was another long pause before Grovyle replied. "Well…honestly, it took some getting used to. But if everyone remembers me, then I'll still exist in a way, won't I? Besides, I'll still have left an impact on the world. As long as the place where Claire's friends can exist in peace, then I'll be able to leave a mark on the world.

I mean…I'm going to die eventually, anyway. I can't change that. But if I can do something _important_ before then, I think it'll be worthwhile."

Dusknoir glanced away from him. He supposed it made sense in a way, but…he struggled to accept it nonetheless. Maybe Grovyle was right, but what was making a change even worth if he didn't get to see those results? He couldn't be sure; what if he was tossing his life away for nothing? And that part didn't seem logical at all.

But there was a genuineness in his voice that told Dusknoir that Grovyle really believed what he was saying. If he was right, and it did work, then Grovyle would have a worthy goal. It gave him a sense of _purpose_, and on a grander scale than anyone here could comprehend.

_Purpose_. Master Dialga had given that to him long ago back when he'd sorely needed one. Maybe it hadn't been for the best reasons, but that had given Dusknoir something to work towards nonetheless. He was keeping everyone alive, and he'd decided that it was a good cause. Dusknoir wasn't the only one who wanted to survive, either, and that had also been a reassurance.

Preserve himself, preserve everyone else, make sure everything came to pass as it should—it was a mission he'd desperately clung to. It had almost made Dusknoir feel like there was something worthwhile here after all. He hadn't thought there was anything worth protecting here after _that_ particular loss, but Master Dialga's orders had given him something to work towards, something to _do_.

And here Grovyle was, risking his life just to better things for millions of strangers. Were Dusknoir's actions really that grand? He was 'saving' everyone, sure, but he was really just making them suffer. That wasn't—

"Are…you sure you're all right?"

There was bare concern on Grovyle's face now. Dusknoir had been silent for a while now, if nothing else. He sighed and shook his head. _Focus, focus_. Now was not the time; Dusknoir would not let himself get attached to that concern. He'd already gone too far with questioning himself.

"I…I'll be fine," Dusknoir grunted. "I was just…preoccupied. We probably ought to head out soon, though."

"…Oh, right. Yeah. We should." Grovyle glanced aside. "Sorry for dumping all that on you, I suppose. We'll…rest a little bit longer and then go."

Dusknoir merely nodded, closing his eye as he sighed again. There was…something nagging there between both of them. Neither of them could name it, not right now. But there was a lingering sense of…_wanting_ something on Grovyle's face, like he'd been hoping for a particular reply.

And maybe, somewhere, there was a tiny hint of that reply deep within Dusknoir. But it was buried too far, and he refused to acknowledge it. Just a little bit longer, and Dusknoir wouldn't _have_ to acknowledge it. The thought of avoiding all the complexities comforted him; he'd gotten so used to thinking in absolutes.

_Purpose_…

He wanted one. He _had_ one. He wanted a _different_ one, perhaps.

But Dusknoir had one, and he'd continue clinging to it for now—even if his grip on it was starting to weaken.


	25. Restoration

**Author's Note:** This chapter's an utter monstrosity, in the sense that it's about as long as the first four chapters combined. That said, it was another very fun one, as there were lots of things to play with here. The most notable ones were me attempting to balance the extremely idealistic Grovyle seen in this episode with the grumpier Grovyle we see for most of the rest of the game, as well as trying to reason out some explanation as to how Dusknoir even knew about Icicle Forest in the first place. And speaking of whom, there's also a very special reveal in regards to Dusknoir here, too. Anyway, I've talked enough, so let's get to the actual chapter.

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Restoration**

Leaf wasn't sure what to think right now, and it was a feeling he didn't like.

They'd eventually recovered enough from their last fight to make their way down the other side of the mountain, and they'd mostly traveled in silence. Still, Leaf had glanced uncertainly Dusknoir every now and then. He'd almost seemed _contemplative_ back there while they were resting. It was like something had just…_happened_ to him, for lack of a better word, and Leaf didn't know what that something might be.

Had Leaf actually managed to get through to him? Honestly, he hadn't expected to open up like that, either. It was hard to imagine Dusknoir turning over a new leaf after everything he'd done. Still, there was a small part of Leaf, deep down, that really _wanted_ to think that Dusknoir was at least considering what he'd said earlier.

Leaf shook his head when they finally arrived at a flat stretch of ground. They'd gone far enough now that they had to be catching up to Primal Dialga, provided he really had come all the way out here. They had to find out for sure—conveniently enough, there was a Snorunt waddling around up ahead of them. (Fortunately, he wasn't one of the ones they'd seen earlier; Leaf was still sore about that little prank.) Maybe he'd seen something, and Leaf broke his silence as he bounded over to the Ice-Type.

"Hey! You haven't seen anyone come by here lately, have you?"

Snorunt turned around and blinked at him. "Huh? Oh, yeah! There was a big old group just a little while ago. It was really weird!"

Leaf's breath caught in his throat. "Really? Did you get a good look at them? What exactly was weird about them?"

"Huh, there was a whole bunch of these…purple spiky things. Sableye, I think they're called." Snorunt paused, narrowing his eyes slightly as he mulled it over. "Oh, and there was this little pink one, too! Kinda weird-looking, but kinda cute, too… Never seen anything like her before."

Celebi. It had to be Celebi. But if she was with the Sableye, then—

"One last thing," Leaf said slowly. "Was that all of them? There wasn't another one with them? Did you see a large armored one, too?"

"Uh…not sure." Snorunt bobbed in his version of a shrug. "Sounds kinda tough, though. If it's out there, I wouldn't wanna follow it, you know?"

With that, he shrugged again, turned around, and waddled off in the direction that Leaf and Dusknoir had just come from. Leaf stared after him for a little while, heartbeat speeding up as his words sank in. _Celebi had been caught_. It seemed like an impossible situation, but if Snorunt was telling the truth, then it had actually happened.

And where would the Sableye be taking her, except to Primal Dialga? In that case, he had to be nearby, too. Either he'd gotten there already, before Snorunt had gotten the chance to see him, or he'd be on his way soon. Neither situation was good, but Leaf had to hope for the latter—

"Grovyle," Dusknoir finally said. "If we set out now, we may still be able to catch up with them. And if we can get there before Master Dialga does…we'll stand a better chance against him, too."

Leaf took a deep breath and nodded. "I know. Come on, then."

The only clear path forward led through an expanse of large spikes of ice. They almost resembled trees in a way, albeit unusual ones. Some of them even split up in multiple directions, almost like branches.

Leaf didn't have the time to stop and appreciate them, though. Interesting as they were, the thought of finding Celebi was all he could focus on at the moment. …Well, that and dodging the occasional shards of ice floating through the air. Having to swat them out of the way or step around them quickly started grating on him.

All of the wild Pokémon out here weren't helping matters, either. There were a good number of Weezing and Cacturne in the not-quite forest, and having to fight them frustrated Leaf to no end. He could decently fend off the occasional Gliscor, but he still didn't like relying on Dusknoir to help with so many of his disadvantages.

(Maybe he didn't want to mind. There was still a part of him saying that Dusknoir had cooperated with him for this long, so he should really appreciate it. And there was still that lingering sense of _something_ from before. But Leaf quickly stuffed those thoughts aside and shook his head.)

He was broken out of his thoughts by the occasional odd cracking noise. Leaf glanced upwards; were those sparks on some of the ice "trees"? He blinked. The local Pokémon had gone out of their way to avoid them, now that he thought about it…

Leaf curiously glanced over at Dusknoir, who was eyeing the spikes intently. When he caught Leaf staring, Dusknoir merely shrugged. He felt uneasy again, but Leaf had no choice but to keep going.

Finally, they arrived in a large clearing. The giant icicles had mostly spaced out and only lined the edges of the path ahead of them. Still, Leaf looked around cautiously. There were plenty of places for the Sableye to hide if they were nearby, after all.

He jumped when there was another loud cracking sound. Had one of the icicles just snapped? No, it was the same sound as before…that electrical noise. Leaf knew better than that. Were these icicles doing that, too?

His eyes finally settled on a couple of icicles up ahead. There were orbs of light dancing around their edges, jagged and crackling even more than the others had. A few small sparks jumped from spike to spike and Leaf was on edge again. Something was _off_ here, he could tell.

"Is there…something unusual about this area?" he said uncertainly.

"I would assume so," Dusknoir replied, shrugging. "I noticed that, too. …Watch yourself."

He nodded, carefully edging forward. Then, he thought he could make out a familiar pink shape in the distance. Leaf's eyes widened, and he darted ahead. There, crumpled up on the ground—it was undeniably Celebi.

"Celebi!" he shouted. "Are you all right? How did you get here? Are the Sableye still around? Where's—"

Celebi weakly turned her head to look at him. She was clearly struggling to move, and her eyes were only half open. There was an odd sort of glow around her, but Leaf didn't have time to wonder what that was about before she cut him off.

"Is…is that you, my dear?" she rasped out. "S-stay back… It's…"

"It's what?" Leaf cocked his head to the side. "What's wrong with you?"

"They…m-made a trap! Don't come any closer…"

_"Hee hee! That's ENOUGH out of you!"_

There was the faintest hint of a whisper before a loud rushing sound filled the area. Celebi shrieked as she was lifted upwards and slammed back into the ground face-first. The glowing around her intensified, jagged and bright green and purple, and Leaf thought there was something vaguely familiar about it.

Then his eyes fell on the strange rock lying a few feet away from her. Leaf knew he'd seen that before—an Odd Keystone. Finally, it sank in; it was the exact same thing that had happened to him back at the Sealed Ruins.

"Spiritomb! Let her go," he snarled as he ran forward. "I know that's you! Now come out here and—"

Leaf was cut off by another crackle of sparks, and a large wave of them coursed through his arm. Then another from the other side, and he howled in pain as the sparks intensified. He tried to struggle against them, but they were holding him in place. His arms had gone numb, and the sparks started to spread over the rest of his body.

"Hee hee! You FELL for it! You FELL for it!"

Spiritomb's face had risen out of the Odd Keystone, and they were smirking at him. Celebi weakly tried to crawl towards him, possibly hoping to push him out of the way of the sparks. It didn't take long for Spiritomb to notice this, though, and they quickly threw her aside. Celebi cried out in pain again as she skidded several feet backwards, and Spiritomb cackled at her.

"STAY back! We WON'T let you stop it!"

Grovyle grunted, trying and failing to at least get his legs to move. The sparks soon spread down to his feet, though, and he was almost entirely immobilized. What was going on? It was obviously a trap of some kind, but how was it doing this? What was the electricity _doing_ to him? And why wasn't—

"Oh, Grovyle… You made it too easy, you know."

That was…that was Dusknoir's voice. Leaf weakly turned his head around, trying to ignore the increasing pain in his limbs. A satisfied smirk had spread over Dusknoir's stomach, and it only grew wider as he glanced between Leaf and Celebi. She was still staring at them in horror, eyes widening as her mouth moved wordlessly.

"What…do you mean?" Leaf panted.

"Please—I know you're smarter than that. This whole time…didn't you wonder why I would bother to tag along with you?"

"O-of course I did," he wheezed. "And I didn't _like_ the suggestion when you made it. But I thought—I thought you just needed—"

"You thought I needed your help, yes," Dusknoir droned. "And it's true. I do need your help. You see…that new 'follower' of Master Dialga's…it's going to be you, Grovyle."

All he could manage was a weak, "W-what?"

"You see, these ice crystals here…" Dusknoir gestured around at them. "They're rather special. They have the power to destroy your mind, but leave your body intact. Once they do, I will take over your body, I will send you back, and I will stop Team Shadow from changing the past. I knew they wouldn't listen to me—so I needed _you_ to do it. I also knew you'd never do that on your own, of course.

"And then I remembered this place. I investigated it once long ago at Master Dialga's request, and that was when I came across these crystals!"

A wave of dizziness coursed through Leaf as he tried to struggle against the sparks again. He supposed that explained some things—like how 'concerned' Dusknoir had been over his well-being. Of course he'd need Leaf in good condition if that was his plan. And of course he'd need to tag along and make sure that Leaf went where he wanted him to go, _when_ he wanted.

The fights with the Sableye even made sense to a degree. Maybe they'd been planned out for the sake slowing Leaf down, giving them more time to find Celebi. But there was still one thing—

"When…did you…even h-have time to plan this, Dusknoir?!"

"Oh, there was plenty of time." Dusknoir wasn't even bothering to hide the amusement in his voice now. "Don't you remember? When we first got here, you were unconscious for quite a while. And the Sableye were already here; all I had to do was consult with them before you woke up. Then I laid down and waited until you did; you merely assumed you were the first one to regain consciousness."

It was true that there had been a Sableye nearby when Leaf had first awoken. So, then—even way back then—the plan had already been in motion. And he hadn't even stopped to consider that there could _be_ a plan.

Well, Leaf had thought there was _something_ off. He had wondered if maybe Dusknoir was planning to _start_ something. But to have already had it in motion the whole time…

The sparks intensified again, and sharp spikes of pain wracked through his body. Leaf doubled over as the edges of his vision started to go white. How could he have—Celebi had told him to run—he could've at least avoided _this_ part of it if he'd just _listened_ to her—

No. He couldn't give up here; Leaf _refused_. There had to be _something_ he could do.

"N-no, that can't be right," he gasped. "You—back there, didn't you think maybe—maybe something had changed?"

"…What are you talking about, Grovyle?"

"You know…" Leaf's back arched as another shower of sparks erupted from his body, but he went on. "When you asked me…if changing things was worth it…I know you were thinking about it then! I-if you were doubting things…"

There was a long pause, and Leaf's hearing started to ring. He thought maybe Dusknoir wasn't going to dignify that with a response. Maybe he wouldn't hear it if he did. But then, finally, there was a very weak response.

"No, you're wrong. You're foolish and naive and far too idealistic! It's infuriating. Of course I would never agree with you."

More sparks. Another flash of light across his vision. There was an unearthly howl of pain that Leaf barely recognized as his own voice. But—he had to keep trying—it was his only choice—

"No, I could…I could tell! I know you were… You h-had to be…"

He was getting increasingly numb, and his body had grown heavy. More icicles had erupted into sparks, and there were more beams of light shooting into him. Leaf struggled to keep his eyes open; he could barely see anything now, even if he wanted to.

Vaguely, he could hear shouting in the distance. More voices now; maybe the Sableye had finally come out. A roar of denial that almost sounded like Dusknoir was followed by a sob from Celebi's direction. Leaf's hearing went out completely after that; the ringing in his ears and the volume of the sparks had increased to such a point that everything else had faded.

Was this it, then? Was he really going to—

Leaf blinked. That was…strange. Suddenly, he was lying face down, and his front side was cold. He shouldn't be feeling anything if he was dead, really. (Well, sort of dead, anyway.) Hesitantly, he tried to move his claws; they were numb, but they worked. Then his arms, and…

Leaf hissed as another sharp pain went through his body. But the accompanying sparks were much lighter, and seemed to be coming from his own skin rather than further away. Why weren't they coming from the ice crystals anymore?

He blinked again, and his eyes finally started to cooperate. Leaf slowly raised his head and looked around. Celebi was slightly to his right, still under the hold of Spiritomb, but she was staring at him with wide, misty eyes. She'd clearly seen him move, and the tears of relief were quick to start falling.

"You're okay, you're okay," she whispered, chanting it in such a way that Leaf wondered if she was saying it partly to convince herself.

Leaf nodded, which promptly caused him to sputter and wince in pain. Slowly, he managed to drag himself around—cringing all the while—and look in the opposite direction. Dusknoir was slightly behind where Leaf had just been standing, huddled up in a large ball with his head in his hands. The Sableye had surrounded him (so they _had_ been nearby, Leaf thought), but the occasional spark of energy from their leader's body caused them to yelp and back off.

"Did…did he…" Leaf croaked.

"…push you out of the way?" Celebi finished. "Yes. I don't know why, but…"

So it had worked, then? It took Leaf a few seconds process. He'd been right after all? Leaf _had_ sensed something back at the mountain? It seemed surreal, but that must've been right.

Before he could speak up, however, the area suddenly went dark. The Sableye looked around frantically, and Dusknoir slowly raised his head to see what was going on. Then, it was followed up by a bright flash of light, and a giant, armored, purple figure was standing in the middle of the field. Leaf's eyes widened as he tried to crawl backwards; Primal Dialga _had_ been on his way, then.

Dialga wildly looked between the assembled group before his eyes fell on Dusknoir. Then, he let out a furious snarl and whipped around, slamming his tail into the ghost. Celebi shrieked in surprise, Spiritomb yelped in fear, and the Sableye desperately tried to see if their master was all right. Dusknoir tried to brace himself as he backed away, but Dialga moved too quickly, ramming a massive claw into him.

Leaf cringed; he could hear several more blows, followed by deep, echoing roars of pain, but it was too much to watch. And yet he was too far away and too weak to do anything about it. He could hear Spiritomb shouting "That's IT! We're gonna LEAVE now!", followed by a gasp from Celebi. The Keystone scraped against the icy ground as they fled, but Celebi was in no shape to help either, even if she could move now—

Suddenly, everything was silent. Leaf slowly opened his eyes, trying to figure out what had happened. Primal Dialga was looking upwards at…something, and Leaf glanced towards the sky. There were blue-green waves of light glowing against the darkness. Auroras—but why now?

And then there was the gentlest brush of _something_ against his skin. Wind; that was _wind_. Leaf's eyes widened; how could there be wind? Unless…maybe things were starting to change. And if that was true…had Claire succeeded back in the past by now?

Before he could think on it further, Leaf was distracted by another enraged roar from Primal Dialga. The dragon turned around and fled, apparently ignoring all the other Pokémon in the area. There was another hill rising in the distance, and Dialga moved towards it. He was almost in a trance-like state now, footsteps robotic and eyes unfocused. Dialga roared one more time, this one sounding almost pained, before he disappeared from view.

Leaf stared off in that direction before shakily turning to Celebi. He crawled over to her and managed to pull himself into a sitting position before extending a claw to her. She sat there for a few seconds, awkwardly trying to move her limbs around, before accepting Leaf's offer for help.

"Are…are you all right?" he said, voice still a bit raspy. "It'll probably…take a little while to move properly, but…"

"I-I'm fine, my dear," Celebi replied, though she cringed when she tried to bend her arm too sharply. "…Mostly, I think. But, more importantly…how are you?"

Leaf laughed weakly. "I've been better, honestly, but I'll get over it."

Celebi just sighed and shook her head. Then, her eyes flickered over to Dusknoir, and Leaf followed her gaze. He looked nearly as bad as Leaf felt, if not worse.

Dusknoir had been tossed aside into the wall of icicles, and a few had shattered around him; some had made it all the way to the ground, but others stuck out at awkward angles. He looked rather dazed, eye not focused on anything in particular, and he was covered in scrapes and bruises. One arm hung limply down at his side, and the other was resting over his stomach.

"Wheh… we're sorry, Lord Dusknoir," one of the Sableye whimpered. "We couldn't stop Master Dialga…"

"I-It's all right," Dusknoir wheezed. "I don't think…anyone could in his current state."

Leaf forced himself to stand up, and he took a few wobbly steps in Dusknoir's direction. He was closely followed by Celebi, though her attempt at flight wasn't much steadier. When Leaf finally reached Dusknoir, he paused and bit his lip. He wasn't sure what to say, but he had to say _something_.

"Well, I guess you saved me again," he finally said. "So, er…"

Dusknoir let out a weak, raspy laugh. "From a trap I set, yes. And the last time was just to trick you into thinking I cared."

Leaf awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. Dusknoir had a point there, but…he'd still thrown away his entire plan. And Leaf wasn't entirely sure what that meant. While he knew what he _wanted_ it to mean, he had to ask anyway.

"You _do_ care, though, don't you? Now, at least."

"I…" Dusknoir sighed. "You were right, yes. When you spoke of having a purpose, you did it so earnestly that I couldn't help that seed of doubt. And you kept trying to convince me otherwise even after I'd set you up, and…I couldn't take any more of it."

Celebi smiled and shook her head. "Really, that was all it took? I figured you, of all Pokémon, would need more convincing than that!"

"Maybe before." He sighed again. "But whatever 'purpose' Master Dialga had given me was on such a small scale. It was something I clung to in order to convince myself I was doing something worthwhile. It was just an excuse for my own cowardice.

"If Claire succeeds, we'll all be gone, anyway—and I thought to myself, if I'm going to die, do I want it to be like this? Or do I at least want to die doing something important?" His eye finally settled on Leaf as he finished, "So, you see, I'd like to make my own mark on the world, if you'll let me."

Leaf smiled—an actual, genuine smile, which wasn't something he'd ever thought he'd offer to Dusknoir. But he nodded and said, "If you'll come along, then yes. I will take you."

"Then…then I suppose it's settled. We're going to stop Master Dialga before he…"

Dusknoir attempted to get up, but he crashed back to the ground almost immediately. Celebi frowned, hesitantly fluttering over to him and setting a hand on his back.

"Here… Let me see if I can do something about that, at least a little…"

She closed her eyes and hummed, and a pleasant chiming noise rang through the air. It was Heal Bell, Leaf realized. A few of the cuts and bruises decorating Dusknoir's body shrank a little, even if they didn't close all the way. He slowly pulled himself up again with a bit more energy this time, and he managed to keep himself afloat.

"I do feel somewhat better," he admitted. "Now then…shall we head after Master Dialga?"

"We probably should get going soon, but…what do you think he's after?" Leaf said with a frown. "You said you'd been here before."

"Well, Master Dialga mostly sent me to look for a Time Gear. He wanted to make sure they'd all been destroyed, and I never found any traces of them here. But…" Dusknoir glanced at Celebi. "You don't know if there's anything special about this area, do you? Anything that would attract Master Dialga's attention like that?"

"I don't know," Celebi said slowly. "Unless…I'd heard once, long ago, that there are multiple Passages of Time. It's possible that…" Her eyes widened. "If there's one here, Primal Dialga would surely sense it and try to use it."

"And if he goes through it in his current state, what do you think will happen?"

Dusknoir frowned. "That's provided he doesn't try to destroy it. I suppose it's still a possibility, though, and one we need to consider."

"Yes!" Celebi nodded. "Come along, dears—he went off that way! Towards the mountain back there! Let's hurry."

Well, hurry as well as they could, Leaf supposed. Still, it wasn't too far away, and the entire group managed to arrive at the base of the mountain soon enough. Even so, they had to stop and rest before going on, Leaf and Dusknoir in particular.

"I think," Dusknoir said as he leaned against a nearby rock, "Celebi, Grovyle, and I should go on alone. I appreciate all of you sticking with me, but…if too many of us go, it may only enrage Master Dialga further."

The Sableye looked between each other, frowning. Eventually, they nodded sadly and chorused, "Yes, Lord Dusknoir! We understand, wheh-heh…"

"All right, then. Thank you, and…in case I don't get to say it later, this may be goodbye. So—"

"Excuse me?! What exactly do you think you're doing?"

Dusknoir was cut off by a sudden voice. He glanced around in an attempt to figure out where it was coming from, and Leaf could make out a shape materializing nearby. If he looked closely, it seemed oddly like a Misdreavus. _Wait_—

It was Missy, and Dusknoir wilted under her glare. The Sableye jumped collectively and tried to hide behind each other with little success. The scene was almost comical, or it would have been if Leaf wasn't so confused.

"L-lady Missy!" one of the Sableye yelped.

Dusknoir's eye widened. "What are you doing here?"

"Really? Is that all you have to say?" Missy demanded. "I knew what the plan was—one of the Sableye told me about it! And then I come here to see how it's going and whether or not it succeeded, and I see you heading off with _them_?"

She bobbed her head in the direction of Leaf and Celebi, and Dusknoir awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, you see…that is…" Dusknoir sighed, shoulders sagging as he went on. "Missy, surely you realize at this point that there's nothing we can do. History will be changed. So I would rather accept it than try uselessly to fight it."

"Of course I realize that!" Missy shouted, though Leaf noticed her eyes were watering. "But…if I'm going to die, don't you think I'd at least want to pick where and how I die? And that I'd maybe at least want to do so alongside you, Father?"

"She has a point there, you know," Leaf said, nodding. Then, he did a double-take as the last thing Missy had said registered on him. "W-wait, what did she call you?"

"_Father_? Yes, this useless, no-good _father_ is mine." Missy shot Dusknoir a glare before turning back to Leaf. "Why would I have followed him for so long otherwise?"

"Well, I guess you have a point… I just thought… Didn't you say you didn't know what happened to your father?"

"No, I just said I never saw him, which was true," Missy huffed. "As soon as he started working for his precious Master Dialga, I was always the one left behind!"

Dusknoir sighed again, bringing a hand up to rest on top of her head. Missy flinched, but she didn't back away.

"I know I wasn't there for you as much as I should've been," he said, sounding genuinely apologetic. "I just thought that…if I could at least help _you_ survive, then…"

Missy shook her head and closed her eyes. "Enough! We're not surviving anyway, so what does that even matter? Just let me come with you this time!"

"I think you should, Dusknoir," Celebi chimed in, grinning almost mischievously. "It would be good for both of you! Besides, I'd love to properly meet your daughter on the way up!"

"Eh… that would be nice," Dusknoir replied, his mouth markings curving up into an awkward smile. "If everyone's okay with that, then…?"

Leaf nodded, and Celebi was positively ecstatic with her cry of, "Certainly!"

"All right." Dusknoir nodded as well before turning back to the Sableye. "Well, then…I suppose now we're off!"

"Yes! Good luck, Lord Dusknoir, wheh-heh-heh!"

"Goodbye, Lady Missy!"

The Sableye's encouraging cries rang out as they turned towards the path before them. Grovyle took a deep breath as they started making their way up the trail. This was it; they were close to the end now. All they had to do was make sure everything came to pass, but they couldn't dawdle.

…But, out of the corner of his eye, Leaf saw a small flash of gold. It didn't seem to be any lingering sparks; it was too round and too light for that. Then, there was another one: a tiny but distinct golden ball of light had just emanated from his arm.

"My dear, are you coming?"

Leaf looked up when he heard Celebi's voice. Nodding, he quickly darted after her, trying to put the puzzling light out of his mind.

…He could only hope they had more time than he thought they did.

* * *

There was something about the march up the mountain that filled Leaf with both dread and anticipation. Everyone knew exactly what they were marching towards, after all. They also knew exactly how important it was. It was an odd mix, one that caused them all to mostly proceed in silence.

Still, every now and then, Leaf could hear Celebi chatter at Missy. He was…surprised, but oddly pleased, when the Misdreavus awkwardly attempted to return the conversation.

"So, Missy, dear—" Celebi cut herself off to launch a Magical Leaf at a Gliscor who had suddenly jumped out at her. "Sorry about that. Anyway, there's something a bit…familiar about you. You were the one who was with Claire a while back, right?"

Missy sighed. "Yes, I…I'm the one who ratted you all out. Sorry about that."

Leaf idly glanced over his shoulder. Missy did sound apologetic about that (at least a little), but he wasn't sure how to feel about it. On the other hand, Celebi seemed considerably less conflicted about the whole thing.

"Oh, no, you're helping us out now! And that's definitely a good thing."

"I guess so." Missy smiled hesitantly. "You know, are you always this…friendly?"

"Well, that's what everyone always—" she paused again, shooting an Ancient Power at a nearby Shedinja— "what they all said, anyway. Heh."

Dusknoir shook his head and sighed, and Leaf looked at him curiously.

"Maybe she could've had some proper friends besides all the Sableye if I hadn't…" he muttered.

Leaf had never been especially good at cheering people up—well, besides that one time with Claire back at Sharpedo Bluff, anyway. He wasn't sure how to respond to that… His own parents had taken reasonably good care of him while they'd been alive (as much as that was possible here, at least), but he'd never had any real friends until Claire's family had taken him in, either. So, Leaf supposed _that_ was something he could understand.

"Well, I'm sure Celebi will do her best to make up for that while she can," he replied. "She's always been good at that."

A hesitant smile crossed Dusknoir's stomach as well. "I hope you're—ah, look out!"

An Aerodactyl had swooped around the corner up ahead of them, and she screeched as she dove towards Leaf. He stumbled backwards, arms raised in front of his face. Leaf wouldn't have time to dodge at this rate, let alone strike back—

Dusknoir quickly rammed his fist into Aerodactyl's wing, ice crystals forming in the webbing as the attack connected. She shrieked in pain as she tumbled backwards, and Leaf was able to scramble back to his feet. He dashed forward, boosting his speed with a Quick Attack, and crashed into Aerodactyl before swinging at her with a Leaf Blade. She finally crumpled to the ground, eyes unfocused, and Leaf sighed as he jumped back to the ground.

"…Thanks," he offered.

"That one, I can accept."

Was…that actually a hint of humor in Dusknoir's voice? It was strange to hear, even if Leaf had accepted that he was genuinely helping now. He paused, then smiled and nodded as he started walking again. And, out of the corner of his eye, Leaf swore he caught a proper smile from Dusknoir as well.

* * *

They'd made it a good ways up the mountain now, and Leaf paused to catch his breath. Everyone was starting to look a bit ragged, but they couldn't wait too long, not when they were so close to the top. They all had a few light nicks and bruises from the occasional fight they'd gotten into, and Dusknoir still hadn't healed properly from the beating Dialga had given him. Leaf frowned as he dug through the last couple things in his treasure bag; he barely had anything left in it, let alone any healing items.

But, speaking of Primal Dialga…

"You know," he commented, "if we haven't seen Dialga yet…do you think he's already reached the peak?"

"Most likely," Dusknoir agreed, frowning. "Master Dialga did have a head start on us… If he's not there already, then he must be close."

Missy and Celebi nodded. And, as if to confirm their suspicions, there was the faintest echo of a roar in the distance. That must've been Primal Dialga; it had to mean they were closing the gap, but it probably wasn't a good sign, either. Leaf quickly stood up, and Dusknoir hastily gestured to the others as he followed him.

"Quickly—while we still have a chance!"

Leaf barely watched where he was going as he dashed ahead. They were so close now, both to the peak and to their end. He knew—there was another flicker of light from his wrist. It might not matter for much longer. Leaf wasn't sure, but he did know that they couldn't risk it at this point.

"My dear, you must slow down!" Celebi shouted from behind him. "If you get hurt up there, then you won't be able to help Claire after all!"

"I know," he called back, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. "But…but we…"

"We know," Dusknoir said quietly. "Just, please…watch yourself."

Leaf reluctantly nodded, slowing his pace enough that everyone could catch up with him. Still, he impatiently ducked and rolled around the ice-coated boulders dotting the path up ahead. Just a little further, and…

The four of them soon arrived on a large plateau, and Leaf skidded to a halt. There, at the far side, was Primal Dialga, hunched up and panting for air. And, on an icy pedestal in front of him, was a glowing Passage of Time. So there was another one after all.

Primal Dialga craned his neck around at the noise, and he let out a noise that was somewhere between a growl and a hiss. The ground shook as he turned to face them properly, heavy steps accompanied by more rumbling. All the while, the wind picked up, and Leaf struggled to keep himself steady.

He squinted; was that a faint hint of light in the distance? And it wasn't from the direction of the Passage of Time, either. He heard Celebi gasp behind him as another golden orb rose from his wrist, and Leaf turned around to look at the others. Celebi's arm had briefly flickered, and Dusknoir was staring at something on the palm of his hand. A small flash of light had just risen from it, and Missy's eyes widened as she faintly flickered as well.

And then Leaf realized what the light on the horizon was: _the sun_. His breath caught in his throat as Dialga roared again, and there was a deep pain and anguish in the noise. He had to know they were almost done now, and who knew how desperate that would make him?

"I-is this… Are we…" Missy choked out.

"It looks like they've done it," Dusknoir said, his voice oddly calm and—and almost resigned, Leaf thought. "History has been altered!"

"It's been…altered?" Celebi repeated faintly.

It had been; they'd succeeded. Claire had done it, Leaf thought, his breath speeding up and coming out in icy puffs around him. She must've been closer to Temporal Tower's summit than he'd thought—or maybe it had just taken this long to catch up with them. Either way, she'd won.

"We're close to the end now," he said. "But, until we're there—"

Dusknoir nodded. "Until then, we must do everything we can to stop Master Dialga!"

Missy nodded, eyes closed, as Dialga roared again. Celebi swallowed and steadied herself in the air. Leaf glanced at Dusknoir, then at Dialga. They just had to hold him off. That was it; just for a few last minutes. If they could distract him long enough, then history would stay on its new course.

"This is it! For the sake of everyone's future…one last fight!"

Celebi flashed him a grin. "I couldn't have put it better! Let's go!"

Dialga growled, swinging a flickering claw forward. Leaf rolled aside, dodging the Metal Claw just in time. He quickly tore into the ground, the icy patches making it difficult, but he had to try. Above him, he could hear a pair of Shadow Balls whizzing through the air, followed by a dull roar of pain from the giant dragon.

_Claire, Felix—everyone—_

Leaf burst out of the ground, chunks of ice and hard dirt bursting out around him as he slammed into Dialga's leg. The Dig combined with a Magical Leaf from Celebi did its job; Dialga staggered backwards, far from unconscious but still left gasping for air.

_—__grant us strength!_

Leaf took a deep breath, ducking as Dialga started to recover. While he was shimmering more brightly now, Dialga didn't seem to notice. Instead, he hissed and launched an Ancient Power at the quartet. Leaf barely rolled aside, but Celebi shrieked as one of the stones struck her. Without hesitating, he skidded towards her, catching her as she fell from the air.

There was a large, sickly bruise on her stomach, but she nodded and shot him a weak smile nonetheless. She floated back into position, shooting off an Ancient Power of her own. Off to the side, Leaf could see Dusknoir helping Missy back into the air, and the two of them shot off another combined Shadow Ball.

More light was rising off all of them now, and the sunlight was getting brighter. Just a little bit longer… Leaf swallowed and glanced up at Primal Dialga. He was huge, and he was far more powerful than any of them individually. But with the numerical odds so stacked against him, Primal Dialga was starting to look worse for the wear. He sank to his knees, entire body shuddering. Maybe just a few more attacks, and—

Dialga let out an earth-shattering roar, and everything around Leaf slowed to a blur. Then, the very air seemed to crack, and Leaf staggered as the impact caught up with him. Roar of Time—Celebi and Missy flew backwards through the air, and Dusknoir had crashed to the ground. Leaf scrambled back to his feet; he couldn't stop now. _Not yet_.

Dialga was left vulnerable, staring at them with weak, half-open eyes. His breathing was haggard; he wouldn't be able to get up for a while. Dusknoir had gotten airborne again, and his gaze met Leaf's as the two recovered. Leaf nodded at him, and they turned towards Dialga.

They swung simultaneously—Ice Punch and Leaf Blade—with Dusknoir striking higher up and Dialga's neck and Leaf slicing his way across Dialga's body. There was a blast of Psybeam from the distance—Celebi had helped Missy get up at some point—and it struck Dialga square in the face. For a second there was silence; then, Dialga let out an undignified noise somewhere between a gasp and a wheeze, and he crumpled to the ground with wide, unfocused eyes.

No one moved until Celebi quietly asked, "Did…did we do it?"

Dialga remained still, and Leaf nodded. "I think so. Now we…just need to wait."

And it didn't take long. Golden light started shimmering off Dialga's body in larger and larger streaks. Dialga grew brighter until, suddenly, the light burst forth from his body. He disappeared in a flash, his massive silhouette leaving a flickering afterimage for a few seconds.

Then, there was another glow from Leaf's body, yellow orbs rising from seemingly random places, and he slowly glanced between the other three. Celebi, Dusknoir, and Missy were brighter now, too. Leaf swallowed; this was it, then. They were fading, slowly but all together.

His body felt heavy, and Leaf sank to his knees as he glanced over the edge of the plateau. At some point during that battle, the sun had risen completely, and the streaks of light glittering over the ice were nothing short of breathtaking. At least—at least they had this—

Celebi groaned as she sank to the ground beside him. Her eyes were only sort of half-open, and she rested a hand on his shoulder as she gazed out at the sunrise. It was the first one she'd ever seen, Leaf realized; he'd experienced many back in the past, but to her? Celebi had to be just as overwhelmed now as he'd been the first time.

"It's…beautiful, isn't it?" she rasped. "This is…a sunrise. I'm glad w-we all…get to see it together. I…"

"I know," Leaf replied, chest heavy as he tried to keep breathing. "Even now, I still think they're wonderful. Celebi…we couldn't have done any of this without you—"

The light from her body was stronger now, and she laughed weakly as her eyes started to water. "No, it was all you, my dear. You and Claire—"

And then she was gone, and Leaf failed to swallow the lump in his throat.

* * *

"F-father, it's so…bright," Missy wheezed. "Was it…always like this, back then?"

Dusknoir could manage little more than a nod at first. Maybe if he'd let her come along at some point, Missy could've experienced more than just this. Of course he was grateful that she was getting to see a sunrise at all. Still, there was something bitter about the fact that Missy was only getting to see her first one now.

Now, when they were all dying—no, ceasing to exist. But…they'd succeeded. They'd stopped Master Dialga, and the sunrise would exist for everyone else. And Dusknoir had finally done something right—no, two things. He'd ensured the suffering wouldn't extend to anyone else, and he'd finally given Missy at least some of the attention she deserved.

"Yes…it's warm, too, isn't it?" There were more orbs of light coming from her now, and from him, but he had to say it while he had the chance. "I'm…sorry."

"You stupid father." Missy laughed weakly. "You're here now, aren't you? Don't go out…looking like that."

He shakily raised a hand to her face, and she closed her eyes. Then, in one last flash of light, Missy vanished entirely, and Dusknoir was left with a deep pang of something he hadn't felt in a very long time.

* * *

Leaf was an odd sort of translucent now, and he was gasping for air. He turned around in a weak crawl—Dusknoir was still there. He'd hunched up over a particular spot in the ground, body shaking violently as he flickered unevenly. Leaf dragged himself towards the ghost, eyes focused on the ground in front of Dusknoir.

Missy was gone, too. Dusknoir had watched his daughter vanish, and it was just the two of them left. It was a matter of seconds now, but they were there.

"Dusknoir," he wheezed. "You're still here."

"Not for much longer, but…" Dusknoir's voice shook, but there was an almost longing look in his eye when he glanced over at Leaf. "Was this…the right thing? Was I worthwhile? Did I…have a purpose, in helping you?"

Leaf managed a nod. "Undoubtedly. You were _brilliant_. We all fulfilled our purpose…together. And I have no regrets."

"Neither do I, then."

Leaf reached out a shaky claw, and it just barely reached Dusknoir's extended hand before they both disappeared into bursts of light.

* * *

There was silence across the plateau, save the whistling of the newly-blowing wind. The sun beat down on the snow, glittering in the morning light. For a long stretch of time, the light shone down on an empty mountain—on an empty island and an empty world.

Then, faintly, there was an echo somewhere far beyond the vast mountain of ice. Something almost like the whisper of a voice, from a place unreachable to most.

_"__They do not deserve this. They were the ones to fix it; they found the solution. I shall…bring them back, even if it twists the laws I had established! Their problem was one _they_ could fix—but this requires _my_ power!"_

Slowly, there was another flickering of light. A massive form came into being, blue and silver and calm—free of the pain caused by the broken reality he'd been tied to. Dialga blinked, surveying the area. The wind and light were not things he had felt in…a very long time. Hundreds of years, at least, if not longer.

Then, in front of him, four more figures slowly came into view. First, the tiny forms of a Misdreavus and a pink Celebi; then, that of a Grovyle and a Dusknoir. Ah, right; they'd all been fighting a little while ago, hadn't they? And Dusknoir—he'd been serving Dialga for so long, suffering due to Dialga's own insanity. Which in turn had hurt his Misdreavus daughter.

And Celebi and Grovyle—it was all thanks to them that this change had come to pass. They were the ones who had allowed history to change. And there was one other besides them; the human girl who ought to be there.

For a few seconds, there was the faint echo of laughter; Grovyle whipped around, staring wide-eyed at a particular spot behind him. There was a flickering figure there, the silhouette shifting rapidly between that of a human and a Meowth. And then it was gone, and Dialga could feel a faint tugging sensation in the back of his mind.

It was…something he needed to look into, Dialga supposed. He would do so after figuring out how, exactly, their timeline still existed. Perhaps…if he closed his eyes…Dialga could feel a faint trace of something familiar. Himself, looking through clear eyes, unclouded by the primal fear of ceasing to be, looking out over another Temporal Tower whose pinnacle was lit by five glowing Time Gears.

Another time, another universe. Still governed over by him, and similar to their own. And yet, it was different, split off from another point. Perhaps the 'other' him had something to do with that flickering presence—but no one besides Dialga and Grovyle had noticed it.

The others were starting to stir, and Dialga had to thank them.

* * *

_Claire_—Leaf _knew_ he had seen Claire just now, or at the very least heard her. It _had_ to have been her; who else could it have been? And yet…she wasn't there now, and there was a sting in his chest at her lack of presence.

If they were back…shouldn't she be there as well? It wasn't fair; Claire had been just as vital to restoring the planet as they all were. Did she not get to enjoy it as well?

But…why _were_ they back? Leaf stared at his claws, slowly turning them over. He _was_ seeing this, right? He was…really there, wasn't he?

Celebi groaned from her nearby place on the ground. "We're…alive? But how?"

"I do not know, but I suspect it was another being—one even stronger than me."

Leaf jumped higher than he cared to admit at the voice. Dialga was looming over them again, but his body had lost its purple tint; he'd been restored to his natural blue. And…he was calmer now, speaking to them normally instead of growling in pain and fury.

Dusknoir blinked. "Master Dialga, this wasn't your work?"

"No." Dialga shook his head. "Even I can only pull from things that already exist—or will exist, eventually. This…is beyond me."

"Well, whatever the reason," Celebi said, clapping her hands together, "we must all do our best to appreciate this second chance! We should see how this world has changed, and…do what we can to improve it!"

Leaf nodded, a small smile crossing his face. He was sure Claire was out there somewhere—she had to be if they were, too. And, wherever she was, he was determined to find her. Leaf would meet her again, and show her that he and Celebi were all right, and—

"Yes, we're going to do that," he agreed. "All of us, right?"

He looked from Celebi to Dusknoir to Missy, and then hesitantly up at Dialga. Everyone nodded in agreement, and Leaf took one more look at the sunlight streaming down on them from above. They had the dawn of a new day ahead of them, and it would not go to waste.

It would take time, but…they _had_ time now. Things could be fixed—already _had been_ fixed, and would be improved further. They could do it.

Leaf stood up, grin widening.

"Do you hear that, Claire? We did it! We're alive, because of you! And—and—you'll see how well we live now, someday!"

Behind him, Leaf could hear the laughter of all four of the others, but he found himself not minding at all.


	26. The Final Pieces

**Author's Note:** I know I'm jumping ahead a bit here, but a) taking care of Darkrai is the most important part of the post-game, and b) it set up for a nice transition into the part I was most excited about doing. Of course, that's not to say the fight itself wasn't fun to write on its own; I did try and expand a bit on Darkrai here, too. Anyway, I have more to say, but... I think I'll save it for the bottom of the chapter. Don't want to take up too much space beforehand, and all. Here we go!

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Six: The Final Pieces**

The months following her still-baffling return had passed normally. Claire still hadn't figured out how and why she'd returned, but she'd gladly accepted the second chance at life. She wouldn't trade all of their following adventures for anything.

Team Shadow had graduated from the Wigglytuff Guild. They'd explored Sky Peak, an almost unknown place teeming with new discoveries. They'd cared for a young Manaphy and explored with some of Wigglytuff's old friends.

All of that seemed like an entire lifetime ago, though. Now, Claire couldn't stop and appreciate any of it. Not with the battle they were currently locked in—a baited trap that they'd had no choice but to march into. The world was just as dependent on its outcome as it had been back at Temporal Tower, if not more so.

The nightmares had started a few weeks back, and they'd found the one responsible. He'd started subtly with them, made a show of stepping it up with Azurill, and then announced his intentions to spread it further. An experiment meant to led into twisting the fabric of space, just as he'd done with the flow of time before.

"Bruce, watch it!"

Iris shouted out her warning as she swept forward with a Faint Attack, startling the Aggron harassing Bruce. The Glameow was breathing heavily and covered in slashes, a particularly deep one bleeding heavily on his cheek. Rin launched a Bonemerang at a Magmortar, sending him crashing to the floor before she turned around and whacked the Magcargo who had cornered Felix.

To Claire's left, there was a shriek of pain. Cresselia had been knocked into the hot cave wall by a Mismagius's Shadow Ball, and there were visible, puffy burn marks on her skin from the steam rising from the rock. All Claire could see was the blurry streak of pink as the Psychic-Type struggled to get herself airborne again, but she couldn't do anything to help. Cresselia had done so much for them already, starting with uncovering the illusions and deceits that had brought them here, but—

"Shall I scar the other side of your face while I have you here?"

Darkrai had both of his hands wrapped around her body, and Claire struggled to get loose. He'd been behind all of it—from the collapse of Temporal Tower, to the attacks on Palkia's domain, to her own existence. And the 'turbulence' in her first trip through time had been him. Darkrai had scarred her and half-blinded her in one eye, and he would do far worse than his little taunt suggested if they didn't stop him.

"Why are you doing this?" she panted in response. "You don't…you don't _have_ to…"

Darkrai laughed, the sound chilling and grating. "Why? I ask you—what good do you think you could do with powers like mine? You think they'll be accepted as anything other than malicious, no matter what I do?"

Claire blinked, her thrashing weakening slightly. "W-what?"

"Let me tell you a little secret…" Darkrai pulled her close, whispering, "When your mere existence sends others into never-ending pain…when simply being near someone causes them to never wake up…you can either seclude yourself and live in fear of your own abilities, or you can learn how to control them. I made the only rational choice! I decided to find a way to not only control but magnify my powers—and I will not let you ruin another opportunity for me!

"Your future was such an easy place to test my abilities. When everyone has already given into despair, the nightmares spread so easily! They _feed_ me and _strengthen_ me! But if I must do it manually, one by one…_I will_."

With that, he tossed her aside like a rag doll, and Claire yowled in pain as she was sent skidding across the burning floor. Around her, Darkrai's followers—and she wondered how many were simply following him out of fear—had started to fall. Cresselia had knocked out the Arbok; Rin and Iris had teamed up against the Rhyperior. Felix and Bruce nodded to each other as they tackled Mismagius to the ground. Aggron had gone unconscious some time ago from Rin's repeated Bone Clubs, and now they just had to take care of Magmortar, Magcargo, and Darkrai himself.

But…could they? Claire weakly rose to her feet, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in her limbs. She could see Rin striking Magcargo with a well-timed Bonemerang, and Bruce proceeded to bite Magcargo on the arm, sinking his teeth in further when the large Fire-Type roared and flailed his arm around in pain.

No, they _had_ to. It wasn't the time to ask if they _could_—only how they would do it. Claire closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and charged forward as her claws sparked with electricity. The Thunderbolt missed its target—Darkrai leered at her as he easily floated out of range. He was met with a howling Iris crashing into him, and his eyes widened as he looked around frantically. Cresselia had an unusually smug look on her face; she must've let Iris get up on her back and use her as a platform so she could leap towards Darkrai.

"_Eat it_, you son of a—"

Iris had swung a Needle Arm towards Darkrai's face, and her spikes hit him square in the mouth. Darkrai hissed as his eyes started to glow, and Iris drooped before she could finish her sentence. She crashed to the ground, eyes shut and chest gently rising and falling. It must've been Hypnosis—Darkrai had put her to sleep. And if they weren't careful…

Claire growled and shot off another Thunderbolt. This one hit Darkrai directly, and he howled in pain as he crumpled to the ground. Rin followed it up with an Ice Beam, and Felix charged at him with a Thunder Punch. If they could just keep up the pace, then…

Darkrai's eyes glowed again, and Claire's movements slowed to a near crawl. No, no; she knew what he was trying to do. Claire wouldn't let him put her to sleep now. She still had to wake up Iris, or he'd put them both in a nightmare, and…

An Aurora Beam from Cresselia was enough to distract him, but Claire's eyes continued to droop as Darkrai snarled at his opposite. She could hear Felix shouting something at her; she had to wake up, and they had to help Iris, and…and…

Vaguely, Claire could make out the looming form of Palkia. Oh, he'd finally caught up with them. He was going to help, and everything would be fine, and…

Claire crashed to the ground, only waking up when she heard something shattering nearby. A few dark shards of energy fell to the ground, and there was a flickering light not unlike a fading Dimensional Hole in front of them. And, when an unearthly shriek of pain echoed through Dark Crater's pit, Claire knew it was all over.

* * *

Claire stared at her surroundings, blinking as she took them in. Their defeat of Darkrai had been over a month ago now, hadn't it? But the memories were still so vivid that she could recall it in her dreams with near-perfect accuracy.

She couldn't help dwelling on what he'd said to her during the battle, either. He had to control his abilities or live in fear of them. Perhaps in any other situation, she would've pitied him; Darkrai was such an awful creature that she couldn't bring herself to do it, though.

Claire yawned as she rolled over and stretched. As thanks for defeating Darkrai, Palkia had fixed things so that she and her team could evolve properly at Luminous Spring. It had been an…interesting experience. The process had been a burst of pain and growth and exhilaration all at once, and Claire had come out of it on all fours. That had been the hardest part to get used to; at first, she kept trying to stand on her hind legs, which had just resulted in her looking ridiculous and falling over.

Claire yawned as she looked around again. Felix was the only other one up, and the Infernape was sitting out by the teeth of Sharpedo Bluff. Iris was sprawled out on her bed, taking up even more space than usual now that she was a Cacturne. Near her, Rin (now a Marowak) was curled up in a ball, breathing as peacefully as always. Claire smiled when her eyes finally settled on Bruce; despite the fact that he'd been the only one of them free to evolve from the start, he hadn't wanted to at all.

_"__I want to stay cute,"_ she remembered the Glameow huffing. _"You guys can change if you want to, but I'd rather stay like this."_

Shaking her head, Claire turned around and padded over to Felix. He'd been staring out at the sea, and he cocked his fiery head to the side as she approached him. Claire sat down, glancing out at the water as Felix spoke up.

"How long have you been up?"

Claire shrugged. "Since just now. I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep, though."

There was still a thin line of gray on the horizon, decorated by a few last streaks of pink and orange. Claire could've gotten some more sleep if she'd felt like it, but she'd been getting up early these past few days.

Felix blinked at her. "Is something bothering you?"

"I guess so." Claire sighed. "I've just been thinking, you know? We know how and why everything happened now. And, it's like…I wish I could tell Leaf and the others that we found all that out, and that now we really _won't_ have to worry about anything like that happening again, but…but…"

Her voice caught in her throat, and Claire swallowed as she looked away. Even before now, it had occurred to her just how unfair it was that she was the only one to come back. No one else had gotten to enjoy this new world; only her. Leaf and Celebi and all the other friends they must've had would never get to see this.

And now, finding out what the root cause had been just felt like a kick in the teeth. Claire knew she ought to be happy about it. At least now the final threads had all fallen into place, and she understood the full picture. But it wasn't enough, not when she couldn't share it with everyone else.

Felix looked at her for a few seconds before glancing back out at the water. "You know," he said slowly, "I think he would be happy for you. I could tell how much Leaf cared about you the last time he was here with us, and…I think he'd like it that you got to learn all that."

"Yeah, I…I hope you're right."

She _knew_ he was, but Claire couldn't help the pang of longing in her chest as she gazed out at the ocean anyway.

* * *

Adjusting was an odd process.

Leaf and Dusknoir had been used to how things were in the past—and Dialga had known how it was, long ago. Celebi had quickly grown attached to the green trees and bright sunlight, and most other Pokémon (and the rare human) agreed that it was a considerable improvement over how the world had been before. None of that was the problem.

Re-growing civilization as a whole was harder, though. It took a while to shake the feeling that one would get attacked just for venturing too far from home, after all. Still…there had been enough of the population who wanted to _try_. And that counted for a lot, all things considered.

It had taken months (and Leaf still couldn't help marveling that they had proper months now), but a few small villages had sprouted up here and there. One of them was even where Treasure Town had once been, and it was where Leaf and Celebi had decided to settle for the time being. He couldn't help a smile as he glanced around at the slightly shabby but still functional shops. It was a relief to see the place almost as it had once been—the way it was _supposed_ to be.

Still, sometimes it was harder to feel so joyful about the whole thing, guilty as that made Leaf feel.

That afternoon, Leaf and Andrew had headed down to the town's market to look for some food and other supplies. Not long after everyone's return, Leaf and Celebi had managed to find Andrew and Jirachi, and the four of them had built a hut together on the outskirts of the new town. And Leaf suspected that Andrew knew best of all what was on everyone's mind, even if none of them wanted to say it aloud. Andrew finally spoke up, though, frowning as he adjusted the sack of food he'd slung over his shoulder.

"You know, it…doesn't feel right," he commented. "Being here without Claire, that is."

"I know." Leaf sighed as he darted ahead on the dirt trail. "I'm…still not sure why she didn't return with the rest of us, but…"

"If the rest of us did, then she had to have, too." Andrew's frown deepened. "But finding out where she is would be…"

Difficult? Nearly impossible? None of them had seen a trace of Claire these past few months. If she was there, surely she'd try to find them, too. But none of them had managed to do so.

It was obvious Andrew didn't want to say that much, though. He'd never been terribly good at vocalizing his thoughts, but the expression on his face made it clear enough. And despite all of his best efforts, Leaf was still a bit awkward at emotional things himself. Leaf glanced away for a moment as he tried to mull over a decent reply, and it was then that something occurred to him.

"You know, if…if she was back in the past when we started to disappear…do you think she reappeared there, too?" he said slowly. "I guess it's a long shot, but…it could be worth a try."

Andrew's eyes widened slightly, and he nodded. Suddenly, he picked up his walking pace—they weren't too far from their hut now. He brushed the entry flap aside when he arrived, setting their supplies down on the floor nearby. Leaf hurried in after him; Celebi and Jirachi were sitting in the middle of the room, talking to Dusknoir and Missy.

Andrew paused, frowning again for a second. Dusknoir and Missy visited them every now and then, and it had taken him longer than everyone else to get used to them. Leaf supposed he couldn't blame him for that, and Andrew generally brushed his opinions aside quickly enough.

That day was the same as usual, and Andrew promptly turned his attention to Celebi. She perked up when he got closer, grinning as she fluttered over to him.

"Andrew, dear, you're back! Did you find everything all right?"

"Yes, but we need to ask you about something else," he replied. "Do you think you could take us over to the Passage of Time? There's something we want to check out."

Celebi blinked curiously. "What? Why do you need to do that? How far back do you need to go?"

Now that time had been repaired, Celebi could go back (or forward) considerably further than she had before. Still, she generally defaulted to the Passage of Time for large trips; it was partly out of habit, and partly because it was still easier that way. Andrew looked uncertainly at Leaf, and the Grovyle nodded and continued for him.

"We were just curious about something. We were talking on the way back, and…do you think Claire might be back in the past somewhere?"

Celebi's eyes widened, and she slowly glanced over at the other three Pokémon in the room. Jirachi rested his chin in one hand as he thought it over, and he nodded after a few seconds.

"It _would_ make sense," he agreed. "And, really, we don't have any other ideas, do we?"

"Jirachi, dear, you could sound a bit more optimistic about it." Celebi snorted and shook her head. "But, still! It _is_ a good idea, don't you think?"

Dusknoir nodded and said wryly, "And I doubt Master Dialga would be too upset with you for using it this time."

Really, "master" wasn't quite the right word anymore. While Dusknoir still worked for Dialga in a sense, it was more generally—checking to make sure the tower was recovering properly, among several other small tasks—as opposed to direct missions like he'd done before. The habit of referring to him as such had been a hard one to shake, though.

Missy rolled her eyes at his remark, but she nodded as well. It seemed everyone was in agreement, then. Leaf looked back at Celebi again, more expectantly this time.

"So, I guess that means we're going to do it, then!" She grinned, clapping her hands together. "Well…we may have to plan this trip a little. We probably shouldn't go in too big of a group, just to be safe. And…"

Celebi gave a sidelong glance to Dusknoir and Missy. Neither of them looked too offended at the implication. Dusknoir probably didn't have the best reputation in the past, after all, and no one there would have a personal connection to Missy. He just shrugged at her and vaguely waved a hand in response.

"I'm fine with staying behind, too," Jirachi said with a shrug of his own. "I'll definitely want to come and visit Claire sometime if you can find her, but that can wait until we know where she is."

Celebi turned back to everyone else and continued, "All right, then. I suppose Andrew, Leaf, and I will go? It may be a short trip, but we should be careful anyway."

"If we find her, we can decide what to do after that." Andrew nodded. "Where do you think we should go?"

"Well…she'd probably either be at the guild or the bluff…" Leaf mused. "So we should aim for one of those. Since Sharpedo Bluff is more out of the way, that might be better."

Besides, Leaf knew his way around well enough that it wouldn't be hard to lead them over to the guild. Maybe they wouldn't have to sneak around so much this time, either, Leaf thought with an amused snort. Everyone seemed to be okay with his suggestion, though, since they were all nodding.

"All right, then!" Celebi's grin widened. "We'll eat and rest up tonight, and we'll leave in the morning. You two can have dinner with us if you like."

She waved at Dusknoir and Missy, and the two nodded appreciatively.

And, as they got to work, Leaf couldn't help the nervous excitement building in his chest. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of it before, but now they finally had a chance.

* * *

"So, should we look at the jobs at the Guild today?" Claire asked. "Unless you'd rather see if Spinda's heard of any new dungeons for us to explore instead."

"Well, I'd be okay with doing a few jobs today," Felix replied. "How about everyone else?"

Rin, Iris, and Bruce shrugged and nodded, signifying their agreement. Claire grinned as she headed up the stairs of the bluff, and everyone followed behind her. She paused to wait for them, idly glancing around the area. It was a nice day; clear and slightly cool, perfect for doing some missions.

And yet…something seemed slightly…_off_. Claire's whiskers twitched; she wasn't entirely sure what it was, but the air just seemed wrong. Felix blinked curiously at her, but he started bristling as well a few seconds later.

"Something's weird," he said uncertainly, looking around for reassurance. "Does anyone else feel that?"

Iris frowned. "Yeah, it's like…I don't know, but…hey, _what_?"

Suddenly, there was a small, dark portal swirling in the air in front of them. It rapidly widened, and Claire soon recognized the shape. It was a Dimensional Hole—but how? No one who she wanted to see should've been able to do that anymore. Was it someone coming back from the 'new' future? If so, what did they want?

Her questions were soon answered when three figures tumbled out of the portal. Claire's eyes widened; there were two very familiar Grass-Types and a human lying in a heap on the ground. While she couldn't quite place the human, there was a nagging feeling in the back of Claire's head that she knew all too well. She'd known him before, hadn't she?

"Leaf? Celebi?" Felix's eyes were bugging out of his head. "How did you get here? We thought you…you…"

"Yeah!" Iris demanded. "And…what's _that_?"

"Ugh, you didn't tell me it was going to be _that_ bad," the human groaned. "You could've _warned_ me, you know."

"Well, _sorry_!" Celebi huffed. "I tried to say something, but you just ran ahead of us! You really are just like dear Leaf!"

The Grovyle in question snorted and rolled his eyes as he stood up. Then, after he shook himself off, his eyes fell on the assembly in front of him. For a second, Leaf merely blinked at them—then it sank in. He grinned and darted over to Claire, resting his claws on her shoulders when he reached her.

"It's you! You _are_ still here. We thought we'd find you if we came back here!"

Claire's breath hitched in her throat. "L-Leaf? It really is you! But what are you doing here?"

"Yeah, I just asked that same thing!" Iris huffed, folding her arms. "But no one listens to me, no…"

Rin simply rolled her eyes, while Bruce was looking at the trio in confusion. The only one of them he'd met was Leaf, and that had only been very briefly back at Brine Cave. He hadn't met Celebi at all, and he'd never seen a human before, much like three of his four teammates. Fortunately, Celebi piped up a few seconds later and started explaining things.

"Well, it's a long story, my dears!" she tittered. "Believe me, I thought we were all done for, too. But, well…to put it simply, someone allowed us to come back. Our dear Dialga has his own idea on what happened, but he's not completely sure of it. Anyway, how have you all been?"

Her eyes fell on Bruce, and she giggled as she hovered over to him. "Ooh, are you one of Claire's friends, too? I met everyone else once before—way back before they evolved, of course!—but you weren't there at the time!"

"Uh…yeah," Bruce said sheepishly. "I think that's just because Dusknoir didn't _realize_ I was a part of the team, to be honest…"

"Well, Claire will just have to fill us all in later! Oh, but speaking of—"

"Celebi," the human sighed. "Don't overwhelm everyone now. Hold on a moment."

He walked over to Claire, then crouched down and silently looked at her. Claire stared back; the feeling was getting stronger now. It was right on the tip of her tongue, but she still couldn't quite name it. It was so _frustrating_…

"So, it's true," he went on. "You _are_ a Pokémon now. Just like Blitz, too. Well, except for the scars and the eye. But it's you, isn't it? My sister."

Claire blinked, eyes watering and mouth slightly open. Her brother? She'd left a brother behind, and she didn't even _remember_ him.

"Whoa, you're Claire's brother?!" Felix exclaimed. "So…that's what a human looks like, then?"

He nodded. "Yes. My name is Andrew. And I guess you all are Claire's new friends?"

"Yep! I'm Felix, and this is Rin…" He gestured at the Marowak, and then pointed to the other two as he introduced them. "And that's Iris, and that's Bruce."

"Well…I guess I have to thank you for taking care of her, then," he said quietly.

"I-I'm sorry," Claire choked. "I still can't remember much of anything, and…and…"

Andrew laughed and ruffled her head, and the gesture was soothing. "That's not your fault. Celebi and Leaf told me what happened."

"So…you're okay, then." Claire swallowed, starting to calm down now. "So that means our world is still there? And you're all together, I guess?"

Leaf nodded. "And another friend of ours, but you may need to be reintroduced to him, as well. At any rate…when we all came back, we were wondering what happened to you, so we wanted to see if you'd ended up back here somehow."

Claire frowned, nodding slowly. "Yeah, it was…it was really weird, to be honest? When we were coming back down Temporal Tower, I started disappearing, but I could've sworn I saw you and Celebi with Dialga. And the strangest part was, I thought _Dusknoir_ was there too, and this Misdreavus I'd never seen before? But then I woke up, and I was back on the beach again, and Felix was there…"

"Yeah, for us, it had been months," Felix added. "But…it didn't feel like that to you, Claire?"

She shook her head. Considering how she hadn't quite known what to make of that vision, she'd never mentioned it to anyone before. But the most important part was the time frame, she supposed.

"Nope; to me, it was just like waking up."

Everyone stopped to contemplate this for a few seconds, but then Leaf suddenly grinned.

"Well, that explains that, then! You know, when we started to come back, too…I thought I heard a voice that sounded like yours," he said. "So maybe you were 'supposed' to come back with us after all."

Claire tilted her head to the side. "But then…if that's the case, why did I come back here?"

"Well," Celebi said with a wry smile, "you could always ask Dialga yourself if you want to. But we were hoping you may want to come and see what our world is like now, too. Perhaps we could arrange for that sometime?"

"Er, Celebi," Andrew replied, "I think _you_ were just hoping that. The rest of us wanted to figure out if Claire was okay first. Can you please run things by us before you say them?"

Celebi giggled. "Oh, please, dear Andrew! I know you wanted to see Claire again so badly yourself. Surely it couldn't kill you to have a longer visit with her!"

"Of course not, but you can't dump that on her right away!"

Meanwhile, Claire's brain was pounding so hard she could barely think straight. She could visit the future? Her original home? Of course, it still existed if everyone who lived there did. And, honestly, she did want to see how it looked now. Even if she didn't remember living there, Claire had seen it when Dusknoir had dragged her back there, and she was curious to see how it had changed.

But…would she be able to come back? Claire didn't want to leave everyone here in the past behind, either. Especially not so suddenly. She slowly looked at each of her teammates before glancing back at the future's trio.

"I…do want to come see it," she admitted. "But I don't want to leave everyone else behind, either. If I go with you, will I still be able to come back here?"

"Of course!" Celebi grinned, waving an arm at the still-present Dimensional Hole behind them. "You saw us come back, didn't you? Regardless of how long you choose to stay, we can easily take you back at any time! We can even make it so it's not too long after this point right here, if you want!"

Claire nodded. "All right, then. I think I'll take you up on that." Taking a deep breath, she turned around to face her teammates. "You all can do fine without me for a little while, right? I promise I'll come back to see you again, and we can figure some more things out from there."

Felix nodded as well, though his smile was bittersweet. "Yeah, I think we'll be okay for a little bit. I mean…I'll really miss you…a lot…but at least now we don't have to worry about you, right?"

"Yeah, you better not leave us again, or else!" Iris mock-threatened.

"Come on, Iris, be serious for once," Rin scolded. "But…yes. Be sure to tell us all about it when you get back!"

"Yeah, come back soon!" Bruce agreed.

"Okay…I'll miss you guys, but I'll see you again soon!"

They all pulled her into a group hug, and Claire grinned as she returned it. Then, she padded over to Celebi, Leaf, and Andrew. Each of them nodded and walked towards the Dimensional Hole, but they paused to wave at the rest of Team Shadow.

"Take care, my dears!" Celebi called. "Don't worry about us!"

"We'll be fine," Leaf added. "Take care of yourselves."

Andrew simply smiled and waved one more time. Claire paused, taking one more look at her teammates. They all waved at her, and she grinned at them and bobbed her head in return.

"Goodbye! Stay out of trouble!"

And, with that, she followed Leaf, Celebi, and Andrew into the Dimensional Hole. It flickered around them as they spun through it, and the dizziness didn't bother Claire so much this time. She instinctively reached a paw out towards Leaf, and he nodded as he took hold of it.

Then, the portal whirred loudly, and Claire closed her eyes and let it take her wherever it was going.

* * *

It didn't take Claire long to recover when the Passage of Time spat everybody back out. She was actually starting to get used to this time travel thing, with three attempts she actually remembered now. The dizziness wore off soon enough, and her steps were only slightly wobbly when she stood up. Once everyone else had joined her, Claire took a few seconds to look around, and she couldn't help a gasp of surprise.

The forest stretching out ahead of her was bright and green, and the trees were rustling slightly in the wind. Above her, the sky was bright blue with light, puffy clouds drifting lazily across it. There wasn't a hint of the dull gray she'd seen before anywhere in sight—it all looked so normal.

"This isn't…_Dusk Forest_, is it?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Yep, it absolutely is Dusk Forest!" Celebi chimed in. "Though maybe we should start calling it something else now. It's not very…well, _dusky_ anymore, is it?"

Claire shook her head and grinned, and her tail idly swished behind her in excitement. If Dusk Forest already looked this much better, she couldn't wait to see how much everything else had improved. But, first, she turned back to look at everyone else.

"You said you were all staying together, right? Where's that?"

"Oh, it's not too far from where Treasure Town used to be," Leaf replied. "Everyone's just been calling it New Treasure Town for lack of a better name, but it's come pretty far already."

"We can take you there now, if you want!" Celebi fluttered to the middle of the group. "Everyone, hang on to me!"

Claire nodded and raised a paw up towards her as Leaf and Andrew drew closer. Celebi closed her eyes, and, in a flash of light, she'd teleported them away.

When the spots faded from Claire's vision, she could see they'd arrived in front of a large circular hut. In the distance, she could see the outskirts of a town, with a few vendor stalls dotting its edge. She wanted to check that out, too, but everyone probably needed a rest first. Instead, she just followed them all inside—they could go later.

The inside of the hut was nice, too, Claire thought as she looked around. The floor was wooden, and there were various pots lining the walls containing supplies. There were several hay beds and a cot off to one side, and a large table sat in the middle. Claire blinked as her eyes fell on the table; apart from the Jirachi seated on one side, there was also a Misdreavus, and…_Dusknoir_?

"Oh, you're back already!" Jirachi smiled as he noticed the group. "And…is that you, Claire? They said you'd turned into a Meowth, but it looks like you've gone and evolved!"

"Yeah, it was…kind of a weird experience, to be honest," she replied, grinning sheepishly. "Not one I thought I'd have, really. I guess we were friends before?" Jirachi nodded, and Claire's gaze turned back towards Dusknoir. "So, then…"

"What am _I_ doing here?" Dusknoir awkwardly looked away. "Well…that's kind of a long story. That is…"

"Oh, just say it, Father." The Misdreavus rolled her eyes. "It's not that complicated! You'd think she'd be upset to see me, but I guess she really _must've_ gotten amnesia if she's not saying anything about it."

"Well, yes, that's because _you_ never…" Dusknoir sighed. "Anyway, I suppose we have a lot to fill you in on, Claire. How long are you planning to stay?"

"I…haven't thought about it," she said uncertainly. "I mean, I'd love to see as much of this new world as I can, but I don't want to leave all of my friends behind, either…"

"Oh, come now, Claire! We said we could bring you back at any time, yes?" Celebi replied, waving her hand in some vague dismissive gesture. "So why don't you get seated, and we'll all catch up?"

She nodded and padded over to the table. Andrew and Leaf settled next to her, while Celebi sat between Leaf and Jirachi. Once they were all seated, Andrew gave her a somewhat awkward smile and hesitantly reached a hand towards her head. Claire promptly grinned and leaned into it, purring when Andrew scratched behind her ear.

"It's…kind of weird to see you like this, honestly," Andrew mumbled. "But you're still you. So if this makes you happy, then…whatever."

Claire paused as she mulled over his remark. She had occasionally wondered what it would be like to be human again. But she'd gotten so used to being a Pokémon, too. Of course, that was beside the fact that she had no idea how she'd even turn back into a human in the first place…

"I…guess that would be kind of nice, if I could change back," she admitted. "I just don't know how I'd do it."

"Um, Claire? You do know I can grant wishes, right?" Jirachi said with a hint of amusement in his voice. "Well, to an extent; I can't do things like bring people back to life or create new things without an appropriate amount of materials. But…I may be able to _try_, at least."

Claire blinked again, her heartbeat speeding up as everyone's eyes turned to her. She really did want to try it, but she was on the spot now. Not to mention she'd probably have to spend some time adjusting, and everyone would be surprised when they saw her when she went back to the past, and…

No. She'd decided. Claire knew what she wanted to do, and she took a deep breath and nodded.

"I think I'd like to give it a try. It can't hurt to see if it'll work, right?"

"All right—come over here, then!"

Jirachi hovered a few feet away from the table, and Claire followed him. Everyone was still watching, but now Claire was less self-conscious about it. Instead, she just sat down and looked up at Jirachi.

"Okay, what do we have to do, then?"

"Just wish to be human again, and I'll see what I can do!"

Claire took another deep breath. "All right…I wish to be human again!"

Jirachi leaned down and tapped her on the head. A bright light started emanating from his hand, and it soon grew and spread over her. Claire closed her eyes as the light enveloped her, and an odd tingling feeling spread through her body.

It…almost felt like evolving had, in a way. Claire could vaguely feel her limbs stretching out and her paws slowly changing into hands. Her toes turned into fingers one by one, and her hind feet stretched into a new shape. Then, finally, the light was gone, and Claire stumbled before collapsing in an awkward heap on the floor.

Her head hurt, and there was still a faint throbbing sensation all over her body. But…her eyes fell on the arm lying in front of her face. That was a human arm. It had worked; she was back to normal! (Well, she was still lightly scarred, and her left eye still wasn't clear, but she was _human_ again!) Claire scrambled back up to her feet. She regretted it when the blood rushed to her head, but she couldn't help being excited, too.

Claire stared down at her hands for a few seconds. She had _hands_ again! And the floor was so far away, and everyone else was so…small. (Well, except Dusknoir, who was still larger than her, and Andrew, who was roughly the same size. But Leaf, Celebi, and Missy were much smaller, and Jirachi was positively _tiny_.)

Wait…Missy? Claire squinted; no one had said the Misdreavus's name yet, had they? There was…something fuzzy lurking at the back of her mind. It was very faint, but…

"_Missy_; your name is Missy," she said slowly, looking at the Ghost-Type in question. Then, she turned to Jirachi and went on, "You were in the investigation team with us, right? You stayed with me and Andrew and Mom and—"

_Mom_. It was still faint, but Claire could suddenly imagine a weary dark-haired woman who walked with a limp and had a Persian at her side. And there was…another Pokémon there, too, wasn't there? A Poochyena, or…no. He was a Growlithe.

"I remember," Claire went on, her voice catching in her throat. "At least a little bit. I think—I think my human memories are coming back. It's not much, but…but…"

She staggered to the floor, grabbing the table in an attempt to steady herself. Claire moved her arms into a folded position and rested her face in them, trembling. She could feel Leaf and Andrew touching her back, and Claire slowly looked up. Her eyes were watering, but there was a growing grin on her face.

"I'm back," she whispered. "And we're all alive, and our world's better, and—and we're all together now! Isn't that wonderful?"

Leaf smiled and nodded as his claw came to rest on her arm. "Yes, it is. It's…good to have you back, Claire."

As she wiped her eyes, Claire straightened up and settled into a more comfortable position. It still felt strange, but…she was relieved to be human again, too. Besides, she had all the time in the world to get used to it—and see the rest of the world while she was at it.

"So…who wants to get started, then?" Claire grinned. "Fill me in. Tell me everything! I want to know all about what's happened—and you have to show me everything, too!"

And, as everyone started chattering, Claire felt an overwhelming sense of being at _home_. It was something she'd never thought she'd have before—and, all right, she'd felt that at the Wigglytuff Guild, but here? Here, in the future that shouldn't exist but still did, it was that much more rewarding.

It made everything she'd been through worth it, and Claire couldn't have asked for better.

* * *

**Author's Note:** So, yeah. That's the end of the fic, everyone. I have lots of feelings about this, particularly being happy that I actually have a finished (and vastly improved) version of this story fully posted on ffn now.

And yes, Claire is permanently human again now. What does this mean for Team Shadow? Well... I do have an idea for a sequel to this story which should touch upon that. However, it's still just in the idea phase, so it needs a whole lot of refining (and, of course, actual writing) before I can start posting anything.

Until then, though, the side stories should be going on for quite a while yet, so be sure and check those out if you haven't already! If something didn't get covered in here, then odds are it'll at least get mentioned over there.

I also have to give a shout out to everyone who's reviewed, favorited, and/or followed this story. Though a particular thanks goes to catflowerqueen and my guest reviewer for leaving your comments here since the beginning. You guys rock, and you definitely motivated me to keep posting this.


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